Ohio’s Hospice Expands Partnership with Senior Living Provider United Church Homes

Ohio’s Hospice is deepening its relationship with United Church Homes (UCH) to expand hospice and palliative care options for the senior living and support services organization’s residents.

This move expands a collaboration between the two nonprofits launched called Ohio’s Hospice at United Church Homes, which provides care in more than three communities across the UCH footprint.

UCH is the 22nd largest multisite, nonprofit senior living organization in the United States, according to the 2022 LeadingAge Ziegler 200 ranking, serving nearly 7,000 residents in more than 90 communities in 15 states and two Native American nations.

“The formation of this alliance is not just based on aligning our skills. Each organization has a common cultural and mission alignment around serving the needs of individuals through care, measured by helping people achieve their needs, goals and to improve their quality of life,” Kent Anderson, CEO of Ohio’s Hospice, said in a statement. “We expect this strategic alliance’s impact will transform health care and provide value and improve the quality of many lives in which we are privileged to serve.”

Ohio’s Hospice is a statewide alliance of nonprofit providers established in 2013. The network leverages its member organizations’ collective size in negotiations with vendors, payers and referral sources, collaborates on back-office functions and shares some expenses and infrastructure.

The collaborative began with three hospice members and now includes 11 affiliates.

The UCH partnership will also include Pure Healthcare, the palliative care and supportive services arm of Ohio’s Hospice, established in 2020.

Demographics are driving up a need for serious illness and end-of-life care in Ohio. State agencies project that by 2050 seniors 65 and older will represent nearly a quarter (24.1%) of the Buckeye State’s overall population. This is a rise from 17.8% currently, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Among the states, Ohio is in the top half when it comes to hospice utilization. In 2021, close to 80,150 Medicare beneficiaries in Ohio utilized the hospice benefit, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). California saw the most hospice utilization that year, with 156,000 beneficiaries electing these services.

“The United Church Homes-Ohio’s Hospice partnership is a powerful combination,” said UCH President and CEO Rev. Dr. Kenneth Daniel in a statement. “This growth and evolution does not fundamentally change who we are but allows us to expand upon what we’re already doing in even better ways.”