Burlington & Greensboro, N.C., March 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two of the leading not-for-profit hospice organizations in North Carolina announced plans to explore combining operations, staff and outreach efforts to better meet end-of-life care needs of residents in Alamance, Caswell, Guilford and surrounding counties. Hospice and Palliative Care of Alamance-Caswell (HPCAC) and Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro (HPCG) have signed an intent-to-merge agreement effective Sept. 30, pending due diligence reviews and final board approvals.
The two organizations currently serve more than 3,000 hospice patients annually with thousands of additional community members utilizing a wide range of palliative healthcare, education and counseling services. The combined organization will also explore adopting a yet-unchosen new name.
“Our organizations are dedicated to care for those with serious illness to help them and their families live as fully and comfortably as possible,” said Peter Barcus, CEO of HPCAC. “We have a like-minded approach to providing care as mission-driven, not-for-profit hospice organizations. Exploring a combination of our operations will allow us to determine how we might share service areas, avoid unnecessary duplication, adopt best practices from both organizations, and better align us with healthcare providers and maximize access to services.”
While leadership decisions have not been finalized, Barcus is expected to continue in a senior strategic consulting role while Kristen Yntema, current CEO of HPCG, is expected to remain CEO after the merger is completed. Caroline H. Durham, CFO of HPCAC, will assume the CFO role in the new organization as James T. “Tab” Haigler, CFO for HPCG, will move into a consulting role. The new organization is projected to keep open all current patient facilities, including the 22-bed Hospice Home in Burlington and the 14-bed Beacon Place facility in Greensboro. No staff layoffs are planned.
“In the coming months, our organizations will conduct due diligence and planning sessions to provide our boards with the information they need to make a final determination on merging our organizations and ensuring a seamless transition with no disruptions in patient care,” said Yntema. “We anticipate crafting a new mission, vision and name for the new organization with hopes that we will begin operations as one organization on Oct. 1.”
In addition to ensuring more operating efficiencies, the combined organization will be able to recruit a deeper talent pool of nurses and staff. It will also strengthen the organization’s long-term position as a not-for-profit leader in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.
“A growing number of for-profit hospices are entering the Triad market, while Medicare changes are impacting how hospice care is reimbursed,” said Barcus. “This alignment between our two organizations will help ensure our communities have high-quality, not-for-profit hospice care for years to come.”
As part of this process, entities responsible for fundraising at both organizations will establish a plan for consolidating assets that honors historic donor intent and future fundraising efforts. Collectively, the two organizations raise over $3 million annually to support programs and services.
HPCAC & HPCG were each formed in the early 1980s and began providing services by 1982. Both organizations are state licensed, federally certified and nationally accredited. Services include in-home patient care, grief counseling, palliative care for families needing support and information on health-care options and Kids Path programs for children coping with serious illness and loss.
A transition team will be formed to lead the merger exploration work. The boards of directors for both organizations will be actively involved in these efforts, and the merger must be approved by both organizations before it is finalized.
“Our focus will remain on enabling our patients and their families to live more fully and discover life’s most important moments while addressing serious illness, death and grief,” said Yntema.
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About Hospice and Palliative Care of Alamance-Caswell
Hospice and Palliative Care of Alamance-Caswell is a not-for-profit hospice and home health care provider founded in 1982 to care for those with serious illness or conditions, and their families, to help them live as fully and comfortably as possible. HPCAC also provides home health care, a 22-bed Hospice Home and counseling for children and adults.
About Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro
Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro is a not-for-profit organization serving Guilford County and surrounding areas since 1980. HPCG provides home-based hospice care, operates a freestanding fourteen-bed hospice facility, a robust grief counseling and community education program, a pediatric hospice program, and a community-based palliative care service.