Wisconsin-based Agrace recently opened a new office location in its home state as a hub for its interdisciplinary staff providing a range of home-based services. The move marks an important milestone in the hospice provider’s push to expand its Midwest footprint.

Agrace provides hospice, palliative and supportive care across 19 counties in Wisconsin. The hospice provider has unveiled a new office in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, a suburb in the predominantly urban Milwaukee County area.

The decision to add an office location to one of the most populated regions statewide was made in response to rising demand, according to Kevin Kirkland, chief growth officer at Agrace. The area is home to a swelling population of serious and terminally ill aging seniors with unmet needs, he stated.

“Our expansion is a means of ensuring that Agrace meets the growing demand for patient-centered end-of-life care to underserved communities and residents throughout Wisconsin,” Kirkland told Hospice News in an email. “The Wauwatosa office is home base for our interdisciplinary care team. Additionally, the office will be the central hub for Milwaukee-based patient care coordination, administrative support, team meetings, volunteer coordination and staff training and education.”

In addition to hospice, Agrace offers adult day services, bereavement care, dementia support and an Age at Home program, which provides nonmedical personal care services. Established in 1978 as HospiceCare Inc., the nonprofit rebranded in 2011 with a goal of being more distinctive across its service lines. Agrace has a daily hospice census of more than 1,200 patients.

The new location is a stepping stone toward offering the full continuum of Agrace’s services to more communities with diverse spiritual, psychosocial, emotional and physical needs, Kirkland stated. The hospice provider sees “tremendous opportunity” to meet the needs of patients and families with person-centered care, he said.

Agrace’s growth plans include continued expansion across Wisconsin including Kenosha, Ozaukee, Racine and Washington counties, according to Kirkland. The hospice provider is also seeking to expand across other Midwestern states through a combination of organic growth and strategic partnerships, he added.

“We have plans to extend our service model into western and northern Wisconsin and into our neighboring states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan in 2025 and beyond,” Kirkland said. “Our expansion will be both with the opening of de novo locations and via strategic partnerships throughout the Midwest.”

Agrace’s strategic plans this year hinge on three factors: mission, people and agility.

The organization’s growth has been rooted in finding new ways to support aging populations and continually invest directly into patient care, Kirkland stated. Coupled with that mission is the importance of having a high employee retention rate and interdisciplinary staff who are “truly vested” in providing quality care, he said.

Additionally important is being adaptable in an evolving health care delivery system, according to Kirkland. Hospices are facing significant workforce pressures alongside regulatory and marketplace shifts. Among the largest value propositions for hospice and palliative care providers is demonstrating the ability to deliver quality care while reducing health care costs and hospitalizations, he indicated.

“Industry dynamics are shifting and changing quickly,” Kirkland told Hospice News. “Dynamics like the ongoing labor market shortage, increases in M&A activity, our evolving regulatory environment and a need to adapt to value-based care are on the horizon for 2025. Agrace is extremely well-positioned over our larger, for profit, multi-state competitors to be nimble and responsive to the needs of our highly valued health system partners, clinics and facility partners. Our agility makes us the perfect health care partner to deliver exceptional patient care, reduce hospital readmissions and lower health care costs.”