Insights
Growing Our Care Network in the Southeast
What is your vision for your company?
The hospice industry is consolidating rapidly in the face of heightened regulatory requirements, payment reform, and increasing competition from large national providers. With valuations at all time highs and looming tax impacts for business owners, there’s never been a better time to evaluate strategic alternatives for your agency.
Agape Care was built to bring the power and scale of a large national platform to local hospice organizations like yours. No matter your goals, Agape Care’s vast network and resources can help you achieve it. Together, we can move toward the future of hospice care.
Read on to learn more about our recent growth, and how we’re striving to provide high-quality hospice and palliative care across the Southeast region:
Agape Care Group Acquires Serenity Hospice, Expanding Its Presence Across 52 Counties in the State of Georgia
SPARTANBURG, SC, June 29, 2021 — Agape Care Group (Agape Care), a portfolio company of The Vistria Group, announced today that it has acquired Serenity Hospice Care, based in Dublin, Georgia. In January of this year, the South Carolina-based Agape Care expanded to the Augusta, Georgia, area serving 12 counties. This acquisition builds the company’s reach to 52 counties in the state, covering 33% of Georgia. The combined organization has 1,000+ employees and cares for more than 1,800 patients across the Southeast region.
“We are excited to partner with the mission-driven team at Agape Care,” said Chad Hutcheson, former chief executive officer and owner of Serenity Hospice Care. “Both organizations are committed to providing quality care to patients and their families, so we were a natural fit.”
“Agape Care’s vision is to serve patients on their end-of-life journey with a superior patient-family experience, delivering the highest quality care while continuing to build a culture of excellence throughout the Southeast,” said Troy Yarborough, chief executive officer of Agape Care Group. “Our reputation in South Carolina has been built upon a community-centric model where local patients and their families are served by local care teams. We are excited about continuing this approach in Georgia.”
According to the U.S. Census, 1.4 million Georgia residents were over age 65 between 2015 and 2019, accounting for more than 14% of the state population. 141 of Georgia’s 159 counties — or most of the state’s geographic area — were considered a medically underserved area as of 2018. Agape Care believes that its acquisition of Serenity Hospice will allow more patients to access the hospice benefit from wherever they call home. In the near term, Serenity Hospice Care will continue to operate under its current name and brand.
Agape Care Group Continues Expansion Strategy in the Southeast Region with the Acquisition of Integrity Hospice in Georgia
SPARTANBURG, SC, July 20, 2021 – Agape Care Group (Agape Care), a leading hospice and palliative care in the Southeast region announced today it has acquired Integrity Hospice based in Dublin, Georgia. With the addition of Integrity Hospice to its portfolio, Agape Care now covers 45% of the state of Georgia with a team of 210 employees and a patient census of 300. Regionally, the company provides care in all 46 counties in South Carolina and has a total of 1,060 employees caring for 2,100 patients in both South Carolina and Georgia.
“We welcome the Integrity team to the Agape Care family. It’s exciting to continue our growth in Georgia as we work to bring high quality, end of life care to more communities across the state,” said Troy Yarborough, chief executive officer of Agape Care Group. “Our vision is to become the premier provider of care in the Southeast known for our superior patient-family experience, delivering the highest quality care, and building a culture of excellence.”
Agape Care takes a localized approach to patient care with strong roots and involvement in each market it serves. The company recently acquired Serenity Hospice in Georgia as well, expanding the number of patients that will have the opportunity to receive the level of quality care that Agape Care offers.
Agape Care is known for adopting innovative practices such as predictive modeling and being a great place to work with a strong culture based on integrity.
“We are thrilled to become part of Agape Care,” said Robert Reed, chief executive officer of Integrity Hospice. “The organization is aligned with our focus on compassionate care and culture of service so it’s a great fit. Our team looks forward to building the future together.”
Integrity Hospice of Georgia will continue to operate under its current name and brand in the near term and terms of the deal are not disclosed.