Abbey Healthcare Group Inc.: Continuing a strategy...

Abbey Healthcare Group Inc.: Continuing a strategy of growth through acquisitions, the firm said Wednesday it has completed the purchase of six respiratory therapy and products companies in six different states.

The company, based in Costa Mesa, would not say how much it paid for the half-dozen small firms, which bring to 12 the number of respiratory operations the company has purchased this year and puts the total above 40 for the past two years. Timothy Aitken, Abbey’s chairman and chief executive officer, said the latest acquisitions expand Abbey’s geographical reach to 49 states.

The six newly acquired companies are Med-a-Rents in Northern California; Home Care Medical Products in Eupora, Miss.; Cowen’s Air in Franklin, Tenn.; Alpha Inter-Care Ltd. in Mesa, Ariz.; Nash Home Healthcare in Nashville, N.C., and Inspiration Plus in Kalamazoo, Mich.