CHP acquires hospice program in Bryan

Community Health Professionals news

Community Health Professionals (CHP) has completed an acquisition of Community Hospitals and Wellness Centers’ (CHWC) home health and hospice program in Bryan.

On May 1, CHP moved into two units of a condominium on Blakeslee Avenue in Bryan that was renovated to offices for its visiting nurses, in-home hospice and private duty programs.

The Bryan office becomes the tenth location in northwest and west central Ohio operated by the Van Wert-based, nonprofit organization.

Although the office is considered new, according to Brent Tow, CHP president and CEO, his organization is not new to Williams County. In 1997, CHP acquired Hospice of Fulton & Williams Counties — which was the first to offer hospice services in the county through an office in Montpelier.

Tow also said CHP helped CHWC develop its hospice program. He said the relationship between the hospital and CHP has always been friendly, and added patients may be pleased to know many faces at the Bryan office will be familiar.

He said CHP has initially hired seven former staff members of the hospital’s program. Other staff members are from Williams County, the phone number will be retained. Tow said all current services will remain, and more will be added.

Tow said the transition will be seamless. “The hospital and home care staff have been more than accommodating to make the transition smooth,” he said, “and patients won’t notice any difference in care. Everything will continue with no lag time.”

Shelly Barrett, VP of operations, said the Bryan office would be CHP’s largest in terms of patient volume. She said the Bryan office would serve residents throughout Williams County, while CHP’s Archbold office concentrates on residents of Fulton County.

Barrett said the expansion of services in Bryan will include all of the government programs offered through the Area Agency on Aging, such as PASSPORT (Pre-Admission Screening Providing Options and Resources Today) and others.

Tow said as a nonprofit organization, CHP conducts several fundraising events at all of its locations which is used to supplement patient care. None of the proceeds from any CHP fundraising is used for administrative costs.

“Last year, we spent over $225,000 from patient care fundraisers at all of our locations for patients who were unable to pay for services,” Tow said.

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