MISSION VIEJO, Calif., March 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ensign Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:ENSG), the parent company of the Ensign™ group of skilled nursing, rehabilitative care services, home health and hospice care, assisted living and urgent care companies, announced today that it has acquired Elite Home Health and Hospice from Tri-State Memorial Hospital located in Clarkston, Washington. Elite will bring Ensign's community-based home health and hospice care to the communities of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.
"We continue to see home health and hospice as an important service offering within the continuum of care, and Elite fits neatly within our plan for strategic growth." said Christopher Christensen, Ensign's President and Chief Executive Officer. "More importantly," Mr. Christensen continued, "this demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the Washington and Idaho healthcare communities."
Elite will be operated by Paragon Healthcare, Ensign's home health and hospice subsidiary for the Northwest. "We are excited to have the Elite team join us, and are grateful for the outstanding foundation of quality care and teamwork we inherited," said Steve Burningham, Paragon's President. "Paragon is committed to the local Elite operations," Burningham continued, "and is committed to becoming the employer and provider of choice throughout the Northwest."
The purchase was made with cash, and brings Ensign's growing portfolio to 109 healthcare facilities, 87 of which are Ensign-owned, seven hospice companies and seven home health businesses across 11 states. Mr. Christensen reaffirmed that Ensign is actively seeking additional opportunities to acquire both well-performing and struggling home health and hospice operations across the United States.
About Ensign(TM)
The Ensign Group, Inc.'s independent operating subsidiaries provide a broad spectrum of skilled nursing and assisted living services, physical, occupational and speech therapies, home health and hospice services, urgent care services and other rehabilitative and healthcare services at 109 facilities, seven hospice companies and seven home health businesses in California, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Nebraska and Oregon. More information about Ensign is available at http://www.ensigngroup.net.
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