Gentiva® Health Services Closes Harden Healthcare Acquisition

ATLANTA, Oct. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Gentiva Health Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: GTIV) ("Gentiva" or "the Company"), the largest provider of home health and hospice services in the United States based on revenue, announced the closing of its acquisition of Harden Healthcare Holdings, Inc. ("Harden"). Under the terms of the merger agreement, Gentiva acquired Harden's home health, hospice and community care businesses. Harden's existing shareholders retained the company's long-term care business.

The purchase price paid by Gentiva was $408.8 million, consisting of $355 million in cash and $53.8 million in Gentiva common stock. Gentiva funded the cash portion of the purchase price through available cash and a new credit facility. As part of the new credit facility, the Company entered into a new $825 million term loan facility which was used to fund the transaction and refinance its existing term loans.

"I would like to welcome all of the Harden employees to the Gentiva family," said Gentiva CEO Tony Strange.  "This merger positions Gentiva to be a leading provider of home health, hospice and community care services and enables us to come together as one team to provide compassionate care to more than 110,000 patients and their families each day."     

About Gentiva Health Services, Inc.

Gentiva Health Services, Inc. is the nation's largest provider of home health and hospice services based on revenue, delivering innovative, high quality care to patients across the United States. Gentiva 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; and other therapies and services. GTIV-G

Forward-Looking Statements

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. These factors include, among others, the following: economic and business conditions; demographic changes; changes in, or failure to comply with, existing governmental regulations; the impact on our Company of healthcare reform legislation and its implementation through governmental regulations; legislative proposals for healthcare reform; changes in Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payer reimbursement levels; the outcome of any inquiries into the Company's operations and business practices by governmental authorities; compliance with any corporate integrity agreement affecting the Company's operations; effects of competition in the markets in which the Company operates; liability and other claims asserted against the Company; ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; ability to access capital markets; 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, pandemic outbreaks, terrorist acts or cyber-attacks; availability, effectiveness, stability and security of the Company's information technology systems; ability to successfully integrate the operations of acquisitions the Company may make and achieve expected synergies and operational efficiencies within expected time-frames; ability to maintain compliance with its financial covenants under the Company's credit agreement; effect on liquidity of the Company's debt service requirements; and changes in estimates and judgments associated with critical accounting policies and estimates. 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, including the "Risk Factors" section contained in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.

SOURCE Gentiva Health Services, Inc.