Eli's Hospice Insider

The 31-year-old VNA and Hospice of the Florida Keys in Key West is forming an affiliation with nonprofit Haven Hospice on the mainland, reports The Key West Citizen. The VNA has entered into a transitional arrangement with Haven Hospice for day-to-day management and operational oversight.

“It’s not really a merger,” the VNA’s Michelle Chennault told the newspaper. “It’s a partnership.” Gainesville-based Haven has inpatient hospice facilities in five locations and is an affiliate of SantaFe HealthCare, a nonprofit serving South Florida through its affiliate AvMed, based in Miami, and SantaFe Senior Living.

“Healthcare operations have become so regulated, that organizations serving rural communities like ours across the nation are looking at affiliations with larger organizations as an effective solution assuring our ability to meet our mission of providing home health and hospice services for years to come,” Richard Grusin, chair of the VNA’s board of directors, told the Citizen.