MELVILLE, N.Y., March 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gentiva Health Services, Inc. , the nation's largest provider of comprehensive home health services, will celebrate its recent acquisition of The Healthfield Group, Inc. and the official launch of its new visual identity on Monday, March 27, when Chairman and CEO Ron Malone presides over the NASDAQ Opening Bell at 9:30 a.m. ET.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060323/NYTH117LOGO )
Gentiva is the leading provider in an industry expected to benefit from an aging population, medical and technological advances and a host of other growth drivers in the next few decades. The acquisition of Healthfield -- a provider of home health, hospice and related services primarily in eight southeastern states -- has extended Gentiva's geographic reach, made it one of the nation's 10 largest hospice providers and created expansion possibilities in new markets for both hospice and for Gentiva's specialty programs.
Malone will make brief remarks on Gentiva's transformation after Healthfield and the Company's strategies for future growth as he leads a group of senior executives and directors attending the ceremony. Gentiva will also mark its sixth anniversary as a NASDAQ-listed independent company, although its homecare experience goes back more than three decades.
Gentiva's new visual identity, including a new corporate logo, color palette and web site, is the latest step in a branding initiative launched in 2005 to highlight Gentiva's leadership in the marketplace and its creation of exceptionally positive and memorable customer experiences. The Company's new logo features a plum-colored circle with a single white dot in the center, which is symbolic of the Gentiva patient. Surrounding dots, suggestive of a medical cross, represent the collaborative approach Gentiva employees exhibit in delivering superior clinical care and exceptional customer experiences.
On the web site, www.gentiva.com, visitors are finding a new look, with pages devoted specifically to patients, health professionals and investors, as well as a Health Education Center that is beneficial to both consumers and clinicians. The site now features additional information on products and services, including the superior clinical outcomes produced by Gentiva's specialty programs, as well as an expanded section on careers supporting Gentiva's drive to be an employer of choice.
"The NASDAQ Opening Bell gives us a great opportunity to celebrate these transformational events, now that Gentiva's annualized revenues exceed a billion dollars and the Company has entered a new and exciting stage in its growth and development," Malone said. "It's also a time to celebrate the outstanding work of our employees and the strong support we receive from patients, payers, referral sources, board members and shareholders. They continue to play an integral role as we make the appropriate investments and pursue the right strategies to capitalize on opportunities in home health and related services for many years to come. I invite all of our audiences to join us on what promises to be a rewarding journey as we bring superior quality healthcare to a growing number of Americans."
Accessing the Ceremony
The opening bell is available from 9:20 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. on uplink IA-5 C-band/ transponder 14. The downlink frequency is 3980 horizontal; audio: 6.2/6.8. The feed can also be found on Waterfront fiber 1623. If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Lowenthal at (646) 441-5220. The ceremony will also be web cast live at http://www.nasdaq.com/reference/marketsite_about.stm. Viewers are advised to begin accessing the web cast by 9:15 a.m. and they must have Windows Media Player.
About Gentiva Health Services, Inc.
Gentiva Health Services, Inc. is the nation's largest provider of comprehensive home health services. Gentiva serves patients through more than 500 direct service delivery units within approximately 400 locations in 36 states, and through CareCentrix(R), which manages home healthcare services for many major managed care organizations throughout the United States and delivers them in all 50 states through a network of more than 3,000 third-party provider locations, as well as Gentiva locations. The Company is a single source for skilled nursing; physical, occupational, speech and neurorehabilitation services; hospice services, social work; nutrition; disease management education; help with daily living activities; durable medical and respiratory equipment; infusion therapy services; and other therapies and services. Gentiva's revenues are generated from commercial insurance, federal and state government programs and individual consumers. For more information, visit Gentiva's web site, www.gentiva.com, and its investor relations section at http://www.gentiva.com/investors.
Forward-Looking Statement
Certain statements contained in this news release, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "expects," "assumes," "trends" and similar expressions, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current plans, expectations and projections about future events. However, such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the Company's ability to successfully integrate the operations of The Healthfield Group, Inc., and to achieve expected synergies, operating efficiencies and financial results within expected time frames or at all; the Company's ability to service debt incurred as a result of the transaction; general economic and business conditions; demographic changes; changes in, or failure to comply with, existing governmental regulations; legislative proposals for healthcare reform; changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement levels; effects of competition in the markets the Company operates in; liability and other claims asserted against the Company; ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; availability and terms of capital; loss of significant contracts or reduction in revenues associated with major payer sources; ability of customers to pay for services; business disruption due to natural disasters or terrorist acts; a material shift in utilization within capitated agreements; and changes in estimates and judgments associated with critical accounting policies. For a detailed discussion of certain of these and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in this news release, please refer to the Company's various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the "risk factors" section contained in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 1, 2006.
Media Contact: David Fluhrer 631-501-7102 516-589-0778 david.fluhrer@gentiva.com
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060323/NYTH117LOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.orgPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comGentiva Health Services, Inc.CONTACT: David Fluhrer, +1-631-501-7102, or +1-516-589-0778, ordavid.fluhrer@gentiva.com
