Home Care & Hospice of New England, HopeHealth Announce Affiliation That Will Serve Eastern Mass., all of R.I.

PROVIDENCE, RI – Home Care & Hospice of New England (HCHNE) and HopeHealth (HH) have announced that they will form an affiliation that will serve Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, becoming the largest not-for-profit hospice and palliative care provider in New England.  The move will allow the organizations to advance their shared mission of enhancing the quality of life for people experiencing serious illness and their families.  It will also create a diversified, $75 million dollar regional organization that can thrive in a complex and competitive healthcare environment.

HCHNE is the parent of Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island (HHCRI) and Visiting Nurse Home Care (VNHC).  HHCRI is the second oldest hospice in the nation and a national leader in hospice and palliative care.  Its academic affiliation with Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School for hospice and palliative medicine is the only one of its kind in the country.  HopeHealth, which delivers a wide range of medical care, care management and support services addressing chronic care through end of life in eastern Massachusetts, is recognized as one of the premier hospice providers in the region.

“We are bringing together three organizations with long traditions of providing excellent care for patients and their families,” said Diana Franchitto, who is President & CEO of HHCRI/VNHC and will lead the combined organization.  “This will ensure our long term strength and viability.”

“By combining our talents, resources and complementary services, we will become a stronger, better organization,” Franchitto added.  “Creating this regional entity will also allow us to grow to meet the needs of the people we serve in a much larger area.”

Franchitto noted that David Rehm, President & CEO of HopeHealth will be retiring after a long and distinguished career in the field of hospice and palliative care, including twelve years as President & CEO of HHCRI from 1986 to 1998. “David’s leadership and vision has made HopeHealth a recognized innovator in the region and the nation,” she added.

Rehm noted, “This affiliation was inspired by a common desire to advance our missions.  Achieving a critical mass of combined services as well as an expanded footprint will give us greater financial strength, access to talent and a more robust infrastructure.  It will also allow us to be more efficient and cost-effective – all with the goal of enhancing our ability to deliver high-quality, compassionate care and supportive services in our communities.”

The parent organization will adopt the HopeHealth brand and will have three non-profit subsidiaries, two in Rhode Island and one in Massachusetts.   Once the affiliation is finalized, HHCRI will change its name to Hope Hospice & Palliative Care of Rhode Island and Visiting Nurse Home Care will be Visiting Nurse of HopeHealth.   The Massachusetts organization will be HopeHealth Massachusetts.

The subsidiaries will retain their local Boards of Directors, ensuring their continued community engagement, support and guidance. The parent entity will have a Board of Directors with two co-chairs and equal representation from each organization.  The agreement to join forces has been approved by the Boards of each organization and the parties expect the affiliation to be finalized in early 2016.

Franchitto said, “Over the coming months, we will develop a long-term, integration plan enabling the combined organization to grow, creating more jobs to better serve our patients and their families.”

Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island: Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island (HHCRI) has been a leader in hospice and palliative care for nearly four decades and helps people facing serious illness live with comfort and dignity. Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island is the major teaching affiliate for hospice and palliative medicine for the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. 

Visiting Nurse Home Care: Visiting Nurse Home Care is an independent, non-profit, community-based home health provider located in Lincoln, RI. Founded in 1908, the organization’s tradition continues to be rooted in providing high-quality home care to residents of Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. Visiting Nurse Home Care provides nurses, therapists, medical social workers, and home care aides to over 3,500 patients and families in the community.

HopeHealth: HopeHealth has been enhancing the quality of life for people experiencing serious illness and loss for more than 30 years. Today, the non-profit organization delivers a wide range of medical care, care management and support services throughout eastern Massachusetts. The HopeHealth family of services includes: Hope Hospice; Hope HouseCalls and Specialized HouseCalls; Hope Dementia & Alzheimer’s Services; Hope Care for Kids; Hope Community Care; and Hope Academy. In June 2014, the Massachusetts Pain Initiative affiliated with the organization.

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