St. Croix Acquires Corpore Sano Hospice in Michigan

St. Croix Hospice has acquired Corpore Sano Hospice in Plymouth, Mich., the company’s second location in that state. Financial terms were undisclosed.

St. Croix, which is backed by the private equity firm H.I.G. Capital, has been on a growth trajectory for at least the past three years, with a focus on Midwestern markets. In addition to a spate of acquisitions, the Minnesota-based hospice provider has launched four de novos thus far in 2022. This follows six new locations they opened in 2021 and seven during 2020.

St. Croix has no plans to slow down its expansion, CEO Heath Bartness previously told Hospice News.

“Our growth has really been derived from both opportunistic and strategic opportunities,” Bartness said. “It’s our goal to bring St. Croix Hospice to as many of those that we can reach, and we’re doing so in a continuous manner, because that’s just what we’ve done in the past. We’re not an organization that is hopping around from coast to coast. We’re very focused on the Midwest.”

The company’s 1,300 employees care for more than 3,500 patients through close to 60 locations in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and South Dakota.

The Minnesota-headquartered provider gained its first foothold in Michigan with the purchase of CNS Hospice in the Detroit metropolitan area for an undisclosed amount.

Michigan had the 10th highest rate of hospice utilization among Medicare decedents during 2018 at 53.8%, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. The national average that year was 50.3%. Utah led the nation with 60.5%.

The company is also no stranger to acquisitions.

In June, St. Croix acquired Lombard, Ill.-based Lexington Hospice Care for a confidential sum. They quickly followed up with a de novo in Missouri early last month. The company purchased three Missouri companies from LifeCare Collective last October — HomeCare of Mid Missouri, Nurses & Company, and Transitions Hospice.

For this most recent deal, Agenda Health advised Corpore Sano while St. Croix Hospice engaged the law firm, Waller as well as McBee Associates for compliance review.

“Bringing this new team in Plymouth on board, along with our existing location in Troy, expands our ability to offer the hospice benefit in Michigan partnering with local providers in these communities,” Bartness said. “Corpore Sano and their workforce have an impeccable reputation for providing care in the greater Plymouth area and we are excited to welcome patients, referral sources, and employees to the St. Croix Hospice family.”