Rhode Island-based HopeHealth announced it would be ending its pediatric hospice program shortly after completing a merger with Cape Cod Healthcare, the Cape Cod region’s largest hospice provider.
Effective Feb. 1, HopeHealth’s hospice, palliative care, Alzheimer’s and dementia services units began operating under the auspices of Cape Cod Healthcare. The merger, announced in Dec. 2018, involved a noncash transfer of assets.
“This is an important consolidation for maintaining and growing critical services on the Cape and Martha’s Vineyard,” said Diana Franchitto, president and CEO of HopeHealth. “Under Cape Cod Healthcare’s strong umbrella, a full complement of services for patients, their families and friends, will be maintained, now with enhanced resources.”
HopeHealth in June will withdraw from the State of Massachusetts’ Pediatric Palliative Care Network, when its contract with the state expires, Cape Cod Times reported on Feb. 18.
Through the network, the state contracts hospice organizations to provide palliative care to children.
“These unique programs are located within licensed hospice organizations because these professionals are experienced in helping to improve quality of life and managing symptoms,” the program’s website indicated. “However, palliative care is not the same as hospice care.”
Cape Cod Healthcare does not have a state contract to provide pediatric palliative or hospice care, but has stated that it intends to apply. The company does provide pediatric services through its Visiting Nurses Association of Cape Cod program.
HopeHealth’s inpatient hospice facility, McCarthy Care Center in Sandwich, Mass., has also transitioned to Cape Cod Healthcare. The facility closed in mid-January for renovations and is expected to reopen in several months according to a statement released by HopeHealth.
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