MetroHealth has become the majority holder of the Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio — a nonprofit home health, hospice and mental health care provider serving 11 counties in Northeast Ohio — through an expansion of their formal partnership as of Jan. 1, according to a news release.
Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio (VNA of Ohio) is a member of the Holmdel, New Jersey-based Visiting Nurse Association Health Group (VNA Health Group), the largest independent, nonprofit provider of home-based health services in New Jersey and Northeast Ohio.
With a goal of expanding existing services, MetroHealth will take on a majority governance role in the VNA of Ohio and its home health and hospice services, according to the release.
“This partnership allows us to grow our innovative Hospital in the Home program and make it accessible to the entire region,” said Dr. Akram Boutros, MetroHealth president and CEO, in a provided statement. “The VNA and MetroHealth share a history and commitment to serving our community, and this partnership will ensure and enhance that commitment.”
Under the new joint venture, MetroHealth and the VNA of Ohio can leverage services to provide better access to home health services through innovative models of care and shared programming around quality improvement, according to the release, which noted that the VNA of Ohio has been providing critical health care to the greater Northeast Ohio community for 120 years.
“We feel strongly that in order for our home health and hospice operations to succeed, we need to grow and partner with organizations that share our values,” said Dr. Steven Landers, president and CEO of VNA Health Group. “We continue to find ways to enhance our services to those in need and are excited to work with such an incredible organization with a strong, long-standing reputation.”
This story was first published by our sister publication, Crain’s Cleveland Business.