Forum Health board approves sale of its home-care division to Celtic

Celtic will offer employment to all Forum Health at Home staff.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — The Forum Health Board of Trustees has approved a tentative agreement to sell Forum Health at Home, which provides services to patients in their homes, to Celtic Healthcare for between $4 million and $5 million.

Forum Health at Home, which has traditionally been one of Forum Health’s profitable divisions, is based at 3530 Belmont Ave. It has about 200 employees and serves an estimated 1,000 patients a day, according to Michael Seelman, senior vice president and chief operation officer for Forum Health Services.

The sale must be approved by Forum Health’s bond holders, regulatory authorities and other third parties before Celtic can acquire the assets. The goal is to finalize the sale by the end of June, Forum officials said.

The assets of Forum Health at Home include home care, hospice, private duty care, Lifeline, HotMeals and transportation. At the conclusion of the sale, Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of NE Ohio will be called Celtic Healthcare of NE Ohio; and DACAS, the private duty care unit, will be known as Celtic Community Services of NE Ohio.

Seelman said Celtic will offer employment to all Forum Health at Home staff. This transaction “will allow the Mahoning Valley to continue to receive the most comprehensive health care. Forum Health and Celtic Healthcare will work hand-in-hand to assure that the transition is seamless for clients and staff,” he said.

Forum Health at Home will be communicating to its clients throughout the process to assure them of their continued care, Seelman said.

Celtic, a for-profit, multistate, regional home health care and rehabilitation services provider, has its headquarters in Mars, Pa., near Pittsburgh.

Arnold E. Burchianti II founded Celtic Healthcare in 1995 and is its chief executive officer.

“Forum Health at Home has a long history of providing community services that are relied upon by so many of the area’s geriatric populations. I highly respect this organization and plan to continue its visions of community involvement,” Burchianti said.

“This acquisition will allow the area to receive the same community benefits with an increase in service offerings and quality and consistency of care. We look forward to earning a place in the Northeast Ohio region,” he said.

Benefits to Mahoning Valley region residents will include: implementation of disease management programs, enhancing care with technologies such as tele-health, mental health nursing, wound-care specialists and specialty programs, Burchianti said.