Trinity Health at Home to Shut Down Massachusetts Hospice, Home Health Agency

Massachusetts-based health system Trinity Health will close its home health and hospice program in the West Springfield community in September, laying off 60 employees in the process.

These services operate under the brand Trinity Health at Home. The health system recently notified the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development of the impending closure and layoffs. A second location in Enfield, Massachusetts, will continue operating.

“Nationwide, health systems are experiencing broad shifts in patient volumes, staffing challenges, including high-cost agency contracts, and increasing supply and pharmacy costs,” Mark McPherson, president and CEO of Trinity Health At Home, told a local news outlet. “Trinity Health At Home is addressing these challenges with long-term and short-term solutions so that we continue our mission of caring for the many communities who depend on us.”

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Trinity did not respond to Hospice News’ requests for comment.

Patients who will complete their care plan within 60 days will remain on service until discharge, while those who need care for a longer period will transition to different providers, according to McPherson.

The 60 employees losing their jobs are eligible for severance pay, medical coverage, and other considerations.

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This follows a series of cutbacks by Trinity to its medical group and behavioral health services, as well as layoffs of translators, nurses, and other staff in one of the system’s hospitals, local news reported.

Though nationwide Trinity Health brought in $13.2 billion in excess revenue after expenses during 2021, a number of its Massachusetts physician groups were in the red, according to the Center for Health Information and Analysis.

Headquartered in Michigan, Trinity is a nonprofit Catholic health system that operates 92 hospitals in 22 states as well as 120 additional care locations that included home care, hospice, PACE, and senior living facilities.

The health system cited the rising costs and labor shortages among the reasons for its recent cutbacks. Despite rising demand for care, these factors have caused a number of hospices in the United States to shut down, sell their businesses or downsize.

The legislature of Oswego County in New York state recently voted to close its hospice agency within a year.

An Iowa provider, simply called Hospice, closed its inpatient house as of Dec. 31, 2021, also citing staffing concerns. The organization will continue to provide care in patient homes, skilled nursing, and assisted living facilities.

The Idaho-based Minidoka Memorial Hospital’s home health and hospice program was shuttered in September of last year, also due to insufficient staffing. In Oregon, Grande Ronde Hospital and Clinics recently closed its hospice program due to labor shortages.

The Dare County Board of Commissioners in North Carolina last year sold its local home health and hospice agency to BrightSpring Health Services for $2.9 million. Louisville, Kentucky.-based BrightSpring is a portfolio company of the global investment and private equity firm KKR & Co.

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