Blue Ridge Hospice eyes N. Va. expansion, breaks into preventative care

Blue Ridge Hospice eyes N. Va. expansion, breaks into preventative care 
Washington Business Journal; by Sara Gilgor; 11/27/24 
Winchester nonprofit Blue Ridge Hospice is heading into 2025 with plans to accelerate its regional expansion - by broadening its services, beefing up its headcount, teaming up with other local health systems and employers, and penetrating new pockets within Northern Virginia. The organization has provided hospice and palliative care in Virginia for patients with terminal illnesses from cancer to dementia for 43 years, only recently breaking into Greater Washington via Loudoun County. But now, increasing demand in the market and challenges within the larger health care landscape have led the business to rethink both its own structure and how it delivers care to the elderly patients it serves, often not until the ends of their lives. That's why the parent organization is rebranding as Blue Ridge Care. Its patients often regret not seeking its help earlier, President and CEO Jason Parsons told me in an interview, so it's repositioning itself to care for patients well before they would ever need hospice. ... Blue Ridge, now with nearly 400 employees, is looking to add another 50 to 60 people - including doctors and nurses - to its headcount in 2025, Parsons told me. And it plans to invest between $3 million and $5 million into next year's expansion, after putting in $10 million over the last two years, he said.