Des Moines-based senior living services company LCS announced today that home health care provider CareSouth has exercised its option to increase its ownership interest to 70 percent of the Health at Home joint venture partnership with LCS. The move came one year ahead of the deadline, which was set for the end of this year. In July 2013, Augusta, Ga.-based CareSouth entered into a joint venture with LCS in which CareSouth jointly owned the home-care division of LCS – Health at Home – with LCS owning the larger portion. CareSouth has been responsible for all of the day-to-day operations of Health at Home in LCS senior living communities. With the exercise of the increased ownership option, “CareSouth and Health at Home are now full-fledged members of the LCS communities,” said Ed Kenny, chairman and CEO of LCS, in a release. In addition to providing additional services to the 17 existing Health at Home locations operating at the time of the initial partnership, CareSouth has since expanded in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, serving six additional LCS communities, the companies said. 

To read a Business Record profile of LCS’ new president and chief operating officer, Joel Nelson, click here.