Texas-based Heart to Heart Hospice has launched a de novo in the West Columbia community in its home state.

The new location is branded as Heart to Heart Hospice of the Riverbend and is now accepting patients. It serves four Texas counties.

“It’s exciting to expand our care services in this part of the state,” said Kelly Mitchell, CEO and founder of Heart to Heart Hospice, in a statement. “We are anxious to begin serving patients and families in what has historically been an underserved area and to provide the compassionate care and support they deserve.”

Founded in 2003, Heart to Heart Hospice, based in Plano, Texas, offers hospice services across 63 locations in Indiana, Michigan, Oklahoma and Texas.

Similar to national demographic trends, a growing aging population is driving demand for hospice in Texas. Seniors 65 and older represent 13.8% of the Lone Star State’s overall population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Hospice utilization among Medicare decedents 52.23% in Texas in 2022, reported the National Alliance for Care at Home. Hospice utilization rates hovered at 49.1% nationwide that year.

“When medicine cannot provide a cure, hospice redefines hope in terms of a patient’s quality of life,” said Dr. Michael Bond, chief medical officer and national medical director for Heart to Heart. “Our mission is to care for the whole person, as well as their family members, in the place they call home.”