HopeHealth and Cape Cod Healthcare to Consolidate Hospice Services

HYANNIS – An agreement has been reached that will consolidate HopeHealth’s hospice and palliative care, and Alzheimer’s and dementia services, on the Cape and Islands under the Cape Cod Healthcare umbrella.

HopeHealth will transition all of its Cape and Martha’s Vineyard outpatient hospice services and its inpatient McCarthy Care Center in Sandwich to Cape Cod Healthcare in a noncash transfer of assets.

“It really is to centralize and to care for hospice patients, seriously ill patients, as one organization in a way that will bring value to the community,” said Diana Franchitto, the president and CEO of HopeHealth.

Cape Cod Healthcare will care for all HopeHealth hospice patients on Cape Cod who wish to transfer their care to its Visiting Nurse Assocation of Cape Cod Hospice services.

HopeHealth and VNA will be working closely to seamlessly transition patients and employees.

“Most, if not all, of the HopeHealth employees based on the Cape and on Martha’s Vineyard will be able to move into positions at Cape Cod Healthcare and the VNA,” Franchitto said.

“That has been an important part of our conversation with Cape Cod Healthcare.”

HopeHealth cares for about 90 patients on the Cape with about 70 employees providing that care.

Franchitto said the move will also better serve the community through the McCarthy Care Center, which she said has been underutilized.

The McCarthy center will close temporarily, most likely in late January, for renovations. Plans call for it to open several months later as part of Cape Cod Healthcare.

The agreement came together after conversations began six months ago.

The organizations have a history of discussions about coming together dating back to the 1990s.

“Periodically, our two organizations have had conversations about coming together with several trips to the altar,” Franchitto said. “Now is the right time for this consolidation to take effect.”

Subject to negotiated agreements and customary regulatory conditions the organizations expect to complete the consolidation in mid-January.

HopeHealth will continue its operations in Greater Boston, Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Cape Cod Healthcare will establish a “Hope Fund Advisory Committee” which will include individuals who have served on the HopeHealth board to advise on the use and distribution of HopeHealth’s charitable reserve funds.

All charitable funds gifted to HopeHealth in the past will continue to be used for the specific purposes for which they were given and will live on in a strengthened end of life continuum of care for residents of the Cape.

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