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Hope Hospice, a longtime nonprofit providing end-of-life services for patients and their families in the Tri-Valley, has announced that it plans to merge with two other regional hospice organizations in order to form the largest not-for-profit hospice network in Northern California.
The merger — which is pending regulatory approval — will be with By the Bay Health, a not-for-profit hospice affiliate of the University of California, San Francisco Health, and Mission Hospice & Home Care, a nonprofit hospice organization that serves families in the Peninsula and South Bay.
The goal of the consolidation will be to “transform serious illness and end-of-life care throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond,” according to a press release from Hope Hospice on the morning of Nov. 30.
“Merging with these two excellent partners protects our legacy in the East Bay, and it secures access to additional quality resources and services,” Hope Hospice CEO Jennifer Hansen said in the press release. “As a stronger combined organization, we can continue to provide compassionate end-of-life care that prioritizes the needs of patients and their families.”
By the Bay Health and Mission Hospice & Home Care signed a letter of intent to merge back on Sept. 21, but the newly announced addition of Dublin-based Hope Hospice will aim to increase the overall quality and range of services throughout the region.
“Today is an incredibly proud day and a win for independent not-for-profit hospice organizations who put quality care and compassion over profit, working collaboratively through partnerships to ensure that all patients and families receive access to high quality, equitable care,” By the Bay Health CEO Skelly Wingard said in the press release.
“We are excited to partner with two respected and trusted mission-driven hospice organizations who deeply invest in, and care deeply about the local communities they serve,” Wingard added. “Together, we share a vision to transform care for our most vulnerable populations during one of life’s most important and honored moments.”
All three organizations will continue to operate under their current names and branding, but both Mission Hospice & Home Care and Hope Hospice will soon add the designation, “an affiliate of By the Bay Health” to their brands, according to Kendra Strey, director of communications for Hope Hospice.
“Hope and Mission are both fixtures in our respective service areas. We believe there is a need to examine how we strategically present ourselves to the community,” Strey told the Weekly. “Once the merger is closed, our leadership teams will develop a comprehensive plan that minimizes confusion in the community and allows patients and families to receive care from a brand they can recognize and trust.”
As far as any changes to Hope Hospice’s services for those in the Tri-Valley, Strey said that in the short-term, business will continue to run as usual with office locations and support phone numbers staying the same.
However, when the three organizations begin the integration process, Strey said that Hope Hospice will develop plans to “standardize the best practices and align services.”
“For the Tri-Valley, this means greater access to in-home care provided by a network of 600 interdisciplinary staff,” Strey said. “Last year we added a small palliative care program, which will be bolstered by By the Bay’s experience in this field. The Tri-Valley community also will have access to our combined organization’s skilled home health services and pediatric care for children with chronic and serious illness.”
According to the press release, the merger would give the most vulnerable populations in the entire Bay Area equitable access to services for serious illness and end-of-life care such as hospice, home health, palliative care and transitional care.
Other services include pediatric care for children with chronic and serious illness; bereavement counseling; dementia support; and access to the Mission House — the only residential hospice house on the Peninsula — that is run by the Mission Hospice & Home Care organization.
These services come at a crucial time given that the California Department of Finance is projecting a 120% increase in the number of adults who are 65 years old or older living in the Bay Area by 2060, according to the press release.
The new joint network would be poised to serve more than 1,100 patients per day thanks to the more than 500 community volunteers and 600 multidisciplinary staff, the press release states.
“Mission Hospice, By the Bay Health and Hope Hospice share a rich history and commitment to serving the Bay Area community with comprehensive end-of-life care, education and grief support,” Mission Hospice CEO Dolores Miller said in the press release. “Together, we can provide even more families the compassionate care and comfort they deserve at one of the most vulnerable times of life.”
Each organization will continue to operate as usual for the foreseeable as the timeline on the merger is still up in the air. Strey said that more details about the merger will be shared when made available.
“Mergers like this take time and focus, and we commit to investing the effort needed to get it right and complete it in a way that honors all three organizations’ commitments to patient care, and ultimately causes the smallest possible disruption to the services we provide in the community,” she said.
Strey also said that the merger will be submitted for regulatory review but that the organizations will not be disclosing the timeline of completion for that regulatory agency review at this time.