Rev. Kenneth V. Daniel

United Church Homes and Ohio’s Hospice have formed a new not-for-profit joint venture Medicare-certified hospice program in an effort to expand service offerings, improve care coordination and provide residents facing serious illness with improved in-residence care.

“Our goal was to form a strategic alliance with Ohio’s leading not-for-profit provider of hospice, palliative care and chronic disease management services to improve the scope and quality of care for residents,” Rev. Kenneth V. Daniel, United Church Homes president and CEO, said in a statement.

Through the partnership, United Church Homes residents in Ohio who need hospice and palliative care will be able to receive services while remaining in the senior living community in which they live. The program will begin in three communities and expand to all 12 United Church Homes communities in Ohio. The company, headquartered in Marion, OH, altogether has more than 74 senior and affordable housing communities across 14 states and two Native American nations.

“This partnership will improve well-being for older adults who choose hospice and palliative care when they are seriously ill or approaching end of life,” United Church Homes Senior Vice President Chuck Mooney said in a statement. “It’s more compassionate to keep residents in a comfortable setting, with care teams they know, and provide additional services as needs change. This new coordinated care model also creates peace of mind for families who want to support their loved ones who are in declining health.”

The alliance also creates a platform for Ohio’s Hospice at United Church Homes’ planned future expansion into inpatient and home- and community-based hospice services.

Dayton, OH-based Ohio’s Hospice is an affiliation of nine not-for-profit hospice organizations in Ohio. Through its affiliate members, Ohio’s Hospice currently serves patients, residents and families in 37 of Ohio’s 88 counties.

“Working together, Ohio’s Hospice and United Church Homes will establish new benchmarks in care for Ohio seniors, ensuring Ohio communities have access to a comprehensive continuum of care and world-class end-of-life, palliative and chronic disease management care,” Ohio’s Hospice President and CEO Kent Anderson said in a statement. “Each organization brings expertise, resources and a shared commitment to the people we will serve through this dynamic joint venture.”