New name for community is Maimonides Healthcare
BSV will continue as provider at new sites
In response to national trends that threaten the financial viability of stand-alone skilled care nursing facilities, Beth Sholom Village (BSV) recently sold its 120-bed skilled care and rehabilitation facility, as well as its 71-apartment assisted living center in Virginia Beach’s College Park neighborhood to Green Tree Healthcare Management, LLC of Jackson, New Jersey. The sale was effective June 30.
Residents of the Berger Goldrich Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center and Terrace Assisted Living at BSV will remain in place if they so choose under the auspices of Green Tree (www.greentreehc.com) Healthcare, which operates skilled care and/or assisted living communities in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maryland, Missouri, and Loudon County, Va.
“We want to assure Beth Sholom Village residents and families that together with Green Tree, their needs will continue to be met,” says David Abraham, BSV president and CEO. “We are also taking steps to maintain staffing by awarding employees with appreciation bonuses, and we will be available to the Green Tree team for advice and consultation as long as necessary. This is going to be as seamless a transition as possible.”
While the new model of Beth Sholom Village’s “next generation of care” is still under development, one option is the creation of a Life Plan Community, which will offer a continuum of services for seniors as they age in place. No site has been chosen.
The sale of the College Park campus, which opened in 1980 as Beth Sholom Home of Eastern Virginia and in 2004 saw the addition of Terrace Assisted Living, was approved by BSV’s board of directors after significant research. The decision was based on the experience of other non-profit senior healthcare communities nationwide, including in Richmond where Beth Sholom there is being sold to another for-profit firm, effective July 1. “Many stand-alone not-for-profits are either closing or being sold to larger organizations that can better manage operating costs by sharing administrative personnel across multiple properties and purchasing food and other goods at better volume rates,” says Abraham.
“This was not an easy decision, but it was the best one for Beth Sholom’s long-term viability and the care of seniors,” says Larry Siegel, chairman of BSV’s board. “We considered several potential buyers and chose Green Tree because of the owners’ background and capabilities. The principals are observant Jews who appreciate our community and Beth Sholom’s legacy, among both Jewish and non-Jewish families in Hampton Roads.”
The owners, Simon Stern, president of Green Tree, and Ari Stern, CEO (who are not related), have multiple years of experience in the nursing home field, and in Ari Stern’s case, as a facility administrator. Ari’s brother Manny Stern, also an experienced administrator, will have a key oversight role with Maimonides Healthcare, the new name for the campus. “This is the first campus with Jewish values and traditions we have acquired,” says Simon Stern. “We know it is a five-star community, and we will maintain its Jewish character.”
BSV will keep the Beth Sholom Village name for its next iteration.
That campus will cater to seniors seeking independent living who can then “age in place” into other settings as their housing and healthcare needs evolve, offering a continuum of services. It will be a “more cohesive and economical delivery model,” says Abraham, who will now devote his time to the development of the next generation of healthcare services for older adults in Hampton Roads. Several members of Abraham’s executive team will join him in the planning process. Additional staff in key administration roles, along with clinical, culinary, custodial, and others, will continue at the College Park location, under Green Tree management.
“The next model of Beth Sholom Village will offer a mix of housing and healthcare services, but in the right proportions for seniors who are seeking more options,” says Abraham. “We expect to have one of the nation’s most modern senior living environments, but one that can be sustained financially.” Beth Sholom Village’s board intends to use the proceeds from the sale to build a next generation of care campus for the Jewish community.
Beth Sholom is already moving toward meeting the evolving demands of today’s seniors through a partnership with Pembroke Square Associates to construct Aviva Pembroke, a 153-unit senior living community, adjacent to the Target department store on the grounds of Pembroke Square off Virginia Beach Boulevard. Applications for apartments there are being accepted at www.avivapembroke.com. The seven-story high-rise is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024.
Beth Sholom Village is not going away, and will be a stronger organization, better able to meet the evolving demands of the marketplace, while assuring that all Jewish and non-Jewish seniors have options to meet their housing and healthcare needs for future generations.
A full Q&A about the transition, which Green Tree and BSV intend to make as seamless as possible for residents, families, and employees, is posted at www.bethsholomvillage.org. Green Tree management, which has met with existing staff, intends to host meetings with community members to introduce themselves and answer questions about the company and its plans.
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Amy Weinstein is director of philanthropy and marketing for Beth Sholom Village.
-Amy Weinstein