Advancing nonprofit hospice care through compassion, community and dignity

For more than 35 years, the Kobacker family has been guided by a single conviction: how a community cares for its dying is the truest measure of its soul. That conviction is known as The Kobacker Way — a set of principles that has shaped nonprofit hospice care in central Ohio since the founding of Kobacker House in 1989.

A Landmark Partnership with Ohio’s Hospice

In January 2026, the Kobacker family formally transitioned the Kobacker House legacy to Ohio’s Hospice, the state’s largest nonprofit hospice provider, in a landmark partnership designed to preserve and expand high-quality, mission-driven end-of-life care. Under this partnership, Kobacker House will continue its mission within Ohio’s Hospice, ensuring that the values that defined one of the nation’s pioneering inpatient hospice facilities remain central to its future.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

The first location for the new Kobacker House is within Ohio’s Hospice’s existing inpatient hospice operations at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
This collaboration brings together the Kobacker family’s philanthropic legacy, Ohio’s Hospice’s statewide nonprofit hospice excellence, and the clinical excellence and academic leadership of The Ohio State University.

Expanding the Kobacker House Legacy

The Kobacker Family Foundation and Ohio’s Hospice plan to extend The Kobacker Way across Ohio’s Hospice’s inpatient facilities statewide and will launch a capital campaign to build a new, state-of-the-art, freestanding Kobacker House in Columbus.

The Kobacker Way Guiding Document

The Kobacker family has published The Kobacker Way as a formal guiding charter outlining the principles, commitments, and expectations for nonprofit hospice care.

Looking Ahead

This partnership honors the past while building a durable future for nonprofit hospice care in Ohio. Additional updates will be shared as plans are finalized.