Banner Health buys Weld-based hospice

GREELEY — Less than five years after Lafayette-based Tru Community Care and Greeley-based Hospice of Northern Colorado merged, Tru has sold its Greeley hospice operations to Banner Health Network.

Tru will continue to own and operate its existing hospice services in Boulder, Broomfield, Adams and Jefferson.

Tru Hospice of Northern Colorado will be folded into Banner’s operations over the next two to three months.

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Tru CEO Michael McHale said the company chose to merge with Hospice of Northern Colorado in 2014 in an effort to grow the stagnating business in Greeley. But unfortunately, he said, those efforts bore little fruit.

“The thought was that becoming a part of a larger organization would help grow (operations in Greeley), but that didn’t materialize,” McHale said.
McHale said the community in Greeley needs additional hospice services and the hope is that Banner, with its larger organizational footprint and wider access to resources, will be better able to grow the organization and the types of services it is able to provide.

Patients and families are being notified of the transition and are encouraged to talk with their hospice care team if they have questions, according to a Banner news release.

“Banner will build on TRU HNC’s foundation of providing palliative care and hospice services focusing on integration and expansion to better serve our communities through a more comprehensive continuum of care,’’ said Margo Karsten, CEO for Banner in Northern Colorado and president of Banner’ s Western Region said. “We see hospice and palliative care services as essential to our provision of high quality care to our patients through all stages of their lives.’’

Banner operates a comprehensive hospice and palliative care services in other markets, including Phoenix.