Some hospices have recently launched new facilities and grown their geographic service reach as others shutter and transition ownership of their programs amid financial struggles.

VNA of Texas’ New Homeless Initiative 

Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Texas has plans to open a new hospice center for individuals experiencing homelessness.

The new facility will be located in Dallas. Through the center, VNA of Texas will offer hospice services to homeless populations in a safe, supportive and home-like environment, according to CEO Chris Culack.

“We’re bringing something really unique to Dallas to help support our homeless neighbors,” Culack told local news. “Typically, it will be homeless people that are coming from a hospital or shelter and need end-of-life care or services but don’t have a place to call home. We’ll be able to provide them [with] care in that home.”

Established in 1934, VNA of Texas provides adult and pediatric hospice across 16 counties in its home state. The nonprofit hospice also offers a Meals on Wheels program.

VNA of Texas’ staff will provide 24/7 hospice care to up to five patients at the new facility, which is anticipated to open in 2027.

The center was fueled largely by donations from The Meadow Foundation and is part of a local effort to address issues among homelessness populations, including those related to end-of-life care.

Stillwater Hospice Grows Geographic Reach

Indiana-based Stillwater Hospice has expanded its geographic footprint to a new region in its home state.

The hospice now provides services in Steuben County, Indiana. Stillwater Hospice will primarily provide both facility- and home-based hospice care in the new region.

The move marks the first “major” growth milestone for Stillwater Hospice in several years, according to Chief Development Officer Mary Shankster.

“As we looked at some of our next strategic moves, adding Steuben County was definitely on our radar as a county that could be a really good fit,” Shankster told local news. “We have had a great partnership with different medical referring entities in Steuben County for many years.”

Stillwater Hospice has served patients and families in Indiana since 1888 and has a geographic service region that now spans 13 counties statewide. The nonprofit provides community-based services such as hospice, palliative care, bereavement and chronic disease management. The hospice also operates an 14-bed inpatient facility, which launched in 2001.

The recent expansion into northern Indiana represents an opportunity to improve access to both hospice and palliative care among rural patient populations, according to Shankster.

Stillwater Hospice has recently been quiet on the strategic front. The hospice last sought expansion in 2023 expanded through a merger with Kosciusko Home Care & Hospice (KHCH). The two nonprofits cited mounting financial pressures and high staffing costs as leading factors.

Heart to Heart Hospice Expands

Texas-based Heart to Heart Hospice has expanded into a new service region in southern Indiana.

The hospice has opened a new location in Corydon, Indiana, growing its reach across six additional counties in the state.

The decision to expand was made in response to rising demand, according to Kelly Mitchell, founder and CEO of Heart to Heart Hospice.

“This expansion reflects our response to the growing need we continue to see for quality, comprehensive hospice service,” Mitchell said in a press release. “We are excited to provide more patients and their loved ones with the compassionate care and consistent support they deserve.”

Established in 2003, Heart to Heart Hospice provides services in Texas, Indiana, Michigan and Oklahoma.

With the addition of the new location, the hospice’s services reach nearly 90% of patient populations in Indiana, according to Lara Beck, executive vice president at Heart to Heart Hospice. The hospice now serves 82 of Indiana’s 92 counties, or “more than any other hospice provider in the state,” Beck stated in the press release.

Heart to Heart Hospice’s strategic plans have largely focused on organic growth. The hospice has opened several de novos and expanded with new service regions in Oklahoma and Texas in recent years. Heart to Heart also launched a new inpatient facility last year in San Antonio, Texas, its third to open in the state.

Good Samaritan Hospital Shutters Hospice Services

The Indiana-based hospital system Good Samaritan recently announced the closure of its hospice program, which will be effective as of Dec. 31, 2025.

The “difficult” decision to end its hospice program follows careful evaluation of end-of-life care delivery trends, according to Good Samaritan CEO Rob McLin.

Hospice care delivery has evolved in recent years, with services increasingly provided by organizations exclusively dedicated to end-of-life care versus hospitals and health care systems, according to McLin. This trend has resulted in sustainability challenges for other health care organizations providing hospice.

“Since its beginning, our hospice team has provided extraordinary, compassionate care to patients and families across our region,” McLin said in a statement. “We hold deep respect for that legacy and are committed to supporting our patients, families, and hospice team throughout this transition.”

Good Samaritan is collaborating with regional hospice providers to ensure continuity of care and supportive transitions of care for its existing patient populations in anticipation of the closure. The hospital system also offers palliative care and will continue providing these services across its service region. All impacted hospice staff will be offered positions in other areas at Good Samaritan throughout the transition.

Good Samaritan’s other services include behavioral health, primary and emergency department care, cardiology, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology and cancer care, among several others.

The closure comes on the heels of a recently announced acquisition of Good Samaritan’s hospice operations by CommonSpirit Health at Home, which will take over ownership of the revamped program beginning in 2026. The two organizations have a long-standing collaboration through an existing home health care joint venture that has provided care in Indiana and Illinois for more than 35 years.

The acquisition marks CommonSpirit Health at Home’s entry into the hospice space. To maintain consistency and community recognition, CommonSpirit Health at Home will continue to offer hospice services under the licensed Good Samaritan brand.