Two Ohio-based senior living operators have created a joint venture branded as Hospice of Greater Cleveland.

Judson Senior Living and McGregor Senior Living Communities have been long-time collaborators. Each company had been running their own hospice programs within their facilities, which they have now combined through the JV.

Discussions about a potential joint venture began earlier this year, and the two companies moved quickly to bring it to fruition, according to Ann Conn, CEO of McGregor Senior Living.

“[Judson CEO Kendra Urdzik] and I have known each other for some time and have worked previously together. In the first year of the pandemic, when staffing was a big concern, we started working together on recruiting and training,” Conn told Hospice News. “It kind of led into other collaborations, which we’re doing with two other nonprofits here in Cleveland. So that’s how we started working together.”

The two nonprofits each launched their individual hospice programs in the same year, with a focus on ensuring continuity of care within their senior living communities. Judson’s program cared for an average of eight to 15 patients at a time, whereas McGregor’s was somewhat larger with 12 to 20 individuals receiving services, Urdzik indicated.

By joining forces, the newly formed Hospice of Greater Cleveland will in time be able to expand beyond the confines of the companies’ facilities and provide care in the surrounding communities.

“We can do this better together with combining our two smaller entities and really forming a cohesive group and taking the best of what we both do, bringing our teams together to form truly a full service hospice program that could not only serve the residents on our campuses, but grow into the community,” Urdzik told Hospice News.