New Harbor Capital Establishes Access Infusion Care in Partnership with Dr. Bruce Kutinsky, Ambulatory Infusion Care North, and JLS Infusion Nurse Staffing Services
Combined Company to Form Platform for New Harbor’s Infusion Therapy Strategy
New Harbor Capital has completed majority investments in Ambulatory Infusion Care North, Inc. (“AIC North”), a home and specialty infusion pharmacy, and JLS Infusion Nurse Staffing Services, LLC (“JLS”), a nursing service provider specializing in managing complex specialty infusion patients, to form Access Infusion Care (“the Company”). The combined Company will serve as the platform for New Harbor’s infusion therapy strategy, which aims to acquire high-quality infusion providers in underserved geographies with diversified therapy offerings and delivery settings, and outsized growth potential.
New Harbor is partnering with an experienced infusion executive, Dr. Bruce Kutinsky, to lead the strategy. A pharmacist by training, Bruce began his career as an Option Care franchisee in the early 1990s, and his location was one of the first to be acquired by Option Care. Following the acquisition of his franchise, Bruce served in several operational and strategic roles, ultimately taking on the role of Chief Operating Officer and helping to grow the business from $140 million to $850 million in revenue and from 300 to over 3,000 employees during his tenure. Upon Option Care’s sale to Walgreens, Bruce led the specialty pharmacy manufacturer and ambulatory infusion center strategy for the combined business. The New Harbor team, along with Bruce, were drawn to the opportunity to build an infusion platform of scale given the continued momentum in the infusion therapy space, driven by site of care movement and the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions and availability of specialty medications.
Founded in 1991 by pharmacist Tom Tomaski, AIC North is a diversified home and specialty infusion pharmacy based in northern Michigan focused on infusion therapies for patients in the home and suite settings. The Company operates a 503A compounding pharmacy based out of Gaylord, Michigan. AIC North partnered with Jodie Lockman-Samkowiak, founder of JLS, to open their first infusion suite, Specialty Infusion Center, in Gaylord in 2019. Expanding to Traverse City, they now serve patients across northern Michigan. The Company staffs nurses strategically throughout the region to facilitate home and suite visits, and provides a wide range of infusion therapies, including antibiotics, total parenteral nutrition, IVIG and specialty biologics for chronically ill patients.
“Infusion therapy is a compelling investment opportunity for our chronic care management and pharma services focus areas given the strong sector trends,” said Bo Mlnarik, Principal at New Harbor Capital. “We believe Bruce, alongside founders like Tom and Jodie and companies like AIC North and JLS, are well positioned to build a leading provider of infusion therapy services in underserved markets and look forward to working with them on this vision.”
“We are very excited to partner with New Harbor Capital on this journey,” added Dr. Bruce Kutinsky, CEO of Access Infusion Care. “New Harbor’s expertise and history of scaling multi-site and home healthcare companies will be invaluable as we expand our market presence in Northern Michigan and beyond. We are committed to improving access and bringing the highest quality infusion care to underserved markets through clinical excellence, a patient-centric approach, cost effectiveness and community engagement. Our partnerships with leading payers, providers and drug manufacturers in those regions will facilitate the delivery of superior outcomes for our patients.”
McDermott, Will & Emery LLP and RSM US LLP provided counsel and advice to New Harbor Capital. Triangle Healthcare Advisors served as advisors to AIC North and JLS on the transaction. Sunflower Bank provided financing support and was advised by Stites & Harbison.
About Access Infusion Care
Access Infusion Care is a diversified specialty pharmacy and infusion services provider focused on providing high-quality infusion therapies for patients in the home and suite settings. The Company was formed in January 2024 through the acquisition of AIC North and JLS Infusion Nurse Staffing Services and will seek to acquire high-quality infusion providers in underserved geographies with diversified therapy offerings and delivery settings, and outsized growth potential.