Big Bend Hospice, Inc

What Big Bend Hospice, Inc does

Big Bend Hospice, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hospice organization founded in 1983 and headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, providing end-of-life care and related services across 11 counties of the Florida Big Bend region with planned expansion into Holmes, Washington, and Bay Counties. The organization delivers hospice care in patient homes (over 80% of cases), as well as through two dedicated inpatient facilities: the 12-bed Margaret Z. Dozier House and the 8-bed First Commerce Center for Compassionate Care located within Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Its core offerings include pain and symptom management, 24/7 nursing availability, the Sunset Program for final-day intensive care, music therapy, animal therapy, spiritual care, bereavement support for up to 13 months post-loss, veterans-specific care through the We Honor Veterans program, and culturally tailored Jewish hospice services through NIJH accreditation.

The organization operates a multi-vertical care platform under the Seven Oaks Health umbrella, including Big Bend Palliative Care (renamed from Transitions Supportive Care on June 1, 2026) for clinical and navigation support alongside curative treatment, Big Bend Home Health (a forthcoming wholly-owned subsidiary) for skilled post-acute care, and Big Bend Hospice Foundation, Inc. as the affiliated fundraising entity. Distribution is anchored by a referral-based go-to-market model with physicians, hospitals, and nursing facilities, supplemented by self-referrals, a mobile health unit launched in October 2025, and community-led growth through events and the Oak Tree Treasures resale shops (two Tallahassee locations).

Revenue is generated primarily through Medicare Part A hospice benefit reimbursement, state Medicaid hospice coverage, and private insurance (covered per-diem / episodic billing with no patient cost-sharing). This is supplemented by donated income through the Foundation (memorial gifts, planned giving, fundraising events such as Songwriters for Hope and the Dr. Glenn Bass Golf Tournament) and resale shop proceeds that fund unfunded programs such as charity care, community bereavement services, music therapy, and the Special Patient Needs Fund. The organization holds CHAP accreditation, NIJH accreditation, We Honor Veterans partnership, and 2024 Best of Tallahassee recognition, and is led by CEO Bill Wertman, MSW, with a C-suite including a COO (Amanda Gustafson), CNO (Norman Pasley), CCO (Nicole Holm), CIO (Joel Garr), and CRO (Cyndi Dotson).

Name

Big Bend Hospice, Inc

Legal name

Big Bend Hospice, Inc

Website

https://bigbendhospice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Big Bend Hospice is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) hospice and post-acute care provider founded in 1983, serving terminally ill patients across 11 Florida Big Bend counties through home-based care, two inpatient facilities, palliative care, and a forthcoming home health subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospice and Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) (62311), Ambulatory Health Care Services (621), Other Ambulatory Health Care Services (6219), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Hospice Agencies (HLAFAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Inpatient Hospice (General Inpatient Care) (HLADAHAB), Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK), In-Home Hospice Nursing Visits (RN/LPN) (HSABAFAL), Hospice Care in Assisted Living / Residential Care Facilities (HLADAHAE), Hospice Care in Nursing Facilities (SNF/NH Hospice) (HLADAHAD), Hospice/End-of-Life Respite (Caregiver Relief) (HLADAKAI)

Keywords

• Hospice care services
• Palliative care
• Bereavement support
• Home health care
• End-of-life care

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallahassee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Medicare Hospice Benefit: Hospice care is covered under Medicare Part A for eligible patients with terminal illness and 6-month or less prognosis. Services include nursing care, physician services, medical equipment, medications, and support services.
2. Medicaid Hospice Coverage: State Medicaid programs cover hospice services for eligible low-income patients.
3. Private Insurance: Most private insurance plans cover hospice care services.
4. Donations and Foundation Support: Big Bend Hospice Foundation accepts donations, memorial gifts, planned gifts, and organizes fundraising events to support unfunded and underfunded programs including Charity Care, Community Bereavement Services, Music Therapy, and Special Patient Needs Fund.
5. Resale Shop Revenue: Oak Tree Treasures resale shops generate revenue through sale of donated goods, with proceeds supporting hospice patient and family programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Big Bend Hospice, Inc. provides hospice and end-of-life care services to terminally ill patients across 11 counties in the Florida Big Bend region. The organization delivers pain and symptom management, inpatient care, palliative care, home health services, and bereavement support through home-based visits and dedicated inpatient facilities. Additional services include music therapy, spiritual care, veterans care, and caregiver support, all funded through Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, donations, and foundation support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hospice Care Hospice care for terminally ill patients with a prognosis of six months or less, providing comfort-focused care, pain and symptom management, emotional and spiritual support, and 24/7 availability. Services are delivered wherever the patient calls home (over 80% of care) or in inpatient facilities.
• Inpatient Hospice Care

Quantifiable outcome

• Services available 24/7, any day of the year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with TMH for animal therapy program and co-location of First Commerce Center for Compassionate Care (FCCCC) on TMH campus. Big Bend Hospice staffs the FCCCC with hospice-trained professionals providing care for patients with complex symptoms.
• National Institute for Jewish Hospice (NIJH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited member of NIJH, providing specialized support and resources for Jewish patients ensuring culturally sensitive care that respects Jewish traditions, rituals, and end-of-life needs.
• We Honor Veterans (NHPCO & VA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership with National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and Department of Veterans Affairs through We Honor Veterans initiative to ensure veteran patients receive dignified care honoring their military service.
• TMH Animal Therapy GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with TMH's animal therapy group providing pre-screened therapy animals and volunteer handlers to bring comfort and joy to hospice patients.
• Caregiver Renewal InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Caregiver Renewal Institute to support community caregivers through resources, education, and the Caregiving with Heart Conference.
• Alzheimer's ProjectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal organization based in Florida Big Bend offering educational resources, respite services, and caregiver education for people with dementia and their caregivers. Based out of the Florida Big Bend.
• Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (Board Connection)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Bill Wertman serves on the board of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, creating strategic alignment between the organizations.
• ENHANCEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Bill Wertman serves on the board of ENHANCE organization.
• Big Bend Health CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO serves on the Big Bend Health Council board.
• FSU Institute for Successful LongevityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO serves on FSU Institute for Successful Longevity's Community Advisory Committee.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Amedisys Hospice: Multi-state home health and hospice operator with Florida hospice locations; directly comparable Medicare hospice benefit delivery, palliative care, and inpatient programs.
• HCA Florida Healthcare: Large Florida hospital system that competes for inpatient hospice referrals and palliative care patients; relevant comparable for inpatient hospice demand capture and referral dynamics.
• Compassus: National hospice, palliative, and home health provider with strong nonprofit-partner program; directly comparable service model and referral-based admissions.
• VITAS Healthcare: Largest U.S. hospice operator and division of Chemed Corp, offering hospice and palliative care across multiple states including Florida; comparable inpatient hospice infrastructure and referral-driven model.
• Gentiva Hospice: National hospice and home health provider with significant Florida presence; competes for referrals and shares the same Medicare-reimbursement-driven hospice model.

Direct peers

• Tidewell Hospice: Florida-based nonprofit hospice serving the southwest region with similar full-service hospice, palliative, and grief support programs and community fundraising model.
• Haven Hospice: Florida-based nonprofit hospice serving North/Central Florida communities; directly comparable mission, regional footprint, and CHAP-equivalent accreditations to Big Bend Hospice.
• Empath Health (Suncoast Hospice): Large Florida-based nonprofit integrated hospice/palliative/home health network; comparable continuum-of-care model and CHAP-style quality accreditations.

Others

• National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO): Industry association partner and parent of the We Honor Veterans program; relevant industry-body comparable for accreditation frameworks and regulatory positioning rather than direct competition.

Regional players

• Adoray Home Health & Hospice: Wisconsin-based home health and hospice operator; comparable small/mid-size nonprofit hospice model and notable because Big Bend Hospice COO Amanda Gustafson was previously CEO of Adoray.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4skt2p_UcKR7_mECu3kG5A
• Facebookfacebook.com/bigbendhospicefan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bigbendhospice
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigbendhospice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big Bend Hospice, Inc