The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) met in Washington, D.C. on June 10 to formally sign an affiliation agreement. The integration process will begin on July 1.
A name for the combined organizations is still to be determined. For now, it is being referred to as the NAHC-NHPCO Alliance.
“The NAHC-NHPCO Alliance will be the leading authority and unifying voice of the care at home community,” NAHC Board Chair and Chair-Elect of the Alliance Kenneth Albert said in a statement. “The leadership of both organizations have worked for 18 months to make this happen and the talented staff at NAHC and NHPCO are already hard at work integrating the two organizations. Together, we will make home the center of health care.”
NAHC and NHPCO are two of the largest home-based care advocacy organizations in the country.
“This alliance between NHPCO and NAHC will create the most powerful voice the care at home community has ever had,” NHPCO Board Chair and Vice Chair-Elect of the Alliance Melinda Gruber said in a statement. “For members, it means access to the best education and expert advice, as well as a strong advocate for sensible policies that help providers deliver the best possible care to the millions of Americans who need it the most.”
William A. Dombi, the president of NAHC and one of home-based care’s most prominent advocates, will remain active in his role until the end of the year.
After the merger is completed, he will be retiring.
“The affiliation of NAHC and NHPCO is a historic event,” Dombi said in a statement. “Unifying the voice of health care at home has been a longstanding goal of NAHC, as it is the essence of the original formation of NAHC in 1982. Combining our two organizations will significantly strengthen that voice for the benefit of our members and the patients they serve.”
The integration process is also expected to take until the end of the year, according to the organization.
A “robust” search for a CEO of the new organization is also underway, with “dozens” of candidates being considered.
NAHC and NHPCO first began to explore a potential combination at the beginning of last year.
Companies featured in this article:
National Association for Home Care & Hospice, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
