St. Croix Hospice has opened a new location in Fremont, Nebraska, its fifth in that state. The de novo continues a period of rapid growth for the Minnesota-based hospice, marking its third new site since January.
The previous 2022 de novos launched in Kansas and South Dakota, a new market for the company. This follows six new locations the company opened in 2021 and seven during 2020.
Rising demand in the Fremont market precipitated the expansion.
“With increased hospice admissions in the Fremont area, we are pleased to meet the need of these communities with a dedicated team,” St. Croix CEO Heath Bartness said in a statement. “Our existing Grand Island, Lincoln, Norfolk and Omaha clinical teams have set the bar for exceptional local hospice care in Nebraska.”
Hospice utilization among Medicare decedents reached 51% in Nebraska in 2018, in line with that year’s national average of 50.6%, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Utah led the nation in utilization at 60.4% in 2018, the most recent year for which state-specific data are available.
Seniors represent about 21% of Nebraska’s 1.9 million residents, the U.S. Census Bureau reports. This is expected to rise to more than 25% by 2030.
St. Croix is backed by the private equity firm H.I.G. Capital. The company cares for more than 3,000 patients through close to 60 locations in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin and South Dakota.
In addition to the recent spate of de novos, the company was active in the acquisitions market during 2020 and 2021.
Among its most recent deals is the purchase of three Missouri companies from LifeCare Collective in October — HomeCare of Mid Missouri, Nurses & Company and Transitions Hospice. This followed the July acquisition of an Illinois location of Silverado Hospice. Financial terms for these deals were undisclosed.
St. Croix has no plans to slow down its expansion, Bartness previously told Hospice News. The hospice provider’s footprint is concentrated in the Midwest, and they plan to stay focused on that region with future transactions and de novos.
Last Fall, the company instituted a $20 minimum wage for all full-time employees.
The new Fremont, Neb., location is situated in the eastern portion of the state.
“Not only will Fremont and surrounding communities receive the best personalized hospice care from St. Croix Hospice care teams – they will receive that care from people who know and love these communities,” said Jena Fosdick, St. Croix’s regional director of clinical operations in Nebraska.
