Agape Care Relocates Georgia Office

Agape Care Group has opened a new office facility in Milledgeville, Georgia.

The South Carolina-based hospice provider is a portfolio company of the private equity firm Ridgemont Equity Partners. Agape Care Group established a presence in Georgia in 2021, setting up shop with a location in the city of Augusta that served 12 counties.

Since then, it has been growing its reach and the workforce needed to support increased demand for end-of-life and serious illness care.

“We are a local hospice caring for our local patients and families,” Ashlee Vickers, regional director at Agape Care Group, told local news. “As the need grows in the communities we serve, we will continue to add the clinicians necessary to care for those families who need us most at end of life.”

In addition to Georgia, Agape also provides hospice and palliative care in both South and North Carolina. The new Georgia office comes at a time of growth for Agape as it builds steam towards multi-state expansion.

Agape’s acquisition of Lanier Hospice in January marks its most recent move into Georgia. The deal stretched the company’s footprint up to 98 counties statewide. Prior to that, Agape in 2021 opened de novos with the acquisitions of Serenity Care and Integrity Hospice, both in the town of Dublin, Ga.

Hospice utilization among Medicare decedents in the Peach State reached 51% during 2018, which is in line with that year’s national average of 50.3%, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

“The team cares deeply about our mission and desires to give support and create meaningful experiences,” said Vickers.

Agape’s roughly 1,450 employees provide care to approximately 3,600 patients across its three-state service regions.

Staffing is an important consideration as the company continues to look at acquisitions, Agape Care Group CEO Troy Yarborough previously told Hospice News.

“[Staffing] could possibly be a cultural indicator as you learn more about how companies deal with turnover, establish operating expectations and strive to retain employees,” said Yarborough.

The company has been building up staffing to support growth. Most recently, Agape appointed Alex Ferguson as its senior vice president of mergers and acquisitions. In the new role, he will assess and prioritize M&A opportunities that align with the company’s strategic growth plans.