Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED), one of America's leading home health and hospice nursing companies, today announced that it has acquired a hospice business with nine locations in South Carolina and one location in Mississippi. This acquisition, which represents Amedisys’ entry into the hospice business in both South Carolina and Mississippi, will allow Amedisys to provide coverage to the entire state of South Carolina and to 17 counties in Mississippi. The business operates as Winyah Community Hospice Care in South Carolina and Allcare Hospice in Mississippi. The agencies had annualized revenue of approximately $17 million, but are not expected to add materially to Amedisys earnings in 2009.

“This acquisition highlights our business strategy of strategically growing our hospice business, especially in markets that overlap with our home health business. We strongly believe in the benefits that hospice care provides to those patients in their last months of life and we will continue to selectively expand this business over time”, stated William F. Borne, Chief Executive Officer of Amedisys, Inc.

Amedisys, Inc. is headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.