Genesis Healthcare Inc. recently completed its purchase of those facilities and others in a total of five states from Revera Inc., a company based in Canada, according to Judy Morton, regional executive director for the Genesis facilities in southern Vermont.
Morton said Revera had wanted to sell its facilities in the U.S., and Genesis was operating in states where they were located, including Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and New Jersey.
“This seemed like a good fit,” she said.
The other Vermont facilities Genesis bought are the Burlington, Berlin, St. Johnsbury and Springfield health and rehabilitation centers.
The nursing homes in Vermont are now part of a group that owns about 200 facilities in New England and more than 500 nationwide. Morton and staff members in Bennington said that large network already is providing benefits for both patients and employees.
“I think that as an administrator, running a center, it is helpful. The regulations change (continually) and we can work through that,” Morton said.
Keeping current with state and federal regulations “can be quite an undertaking,” she said, adding that Genesis provides information, training and other support to staff members, much of it online.
“This is right at our fingertips,” she said.
Wendy Beatty, administrator of the Bennington facility, and Director of Admissions Rhonda Hickey agreed during a recent interview.
“What they provide is outstanding service — both support for the employees here, and for the residents and their families,” Beatty said. “There are so many materials educationwise, and policies and procedures that help us provide the best care that we can provide.”
She said that, for instance, new Medicare provisions are being implemented, and Genesis has rolled out a series of webinars for staff members, including six planned for next week. “They’re on top of it,” Beatty said.
That also is the case concerning patient care, Hickey said.
“I feel like with Genesis they are sort of on the forefront of health care, so when they see need for change, they implement change right away,” she said. “They are very customer experience driven. I feel there is so much monitoring with Genesis. They are going to look at surveys and look at responses, and changes are going to be really based on what the customer needs or wants.”
Morton noted some recent renovations to the facility, including conversion of some semi-private units to private rooms in the short-term care unit on the second floor.
Genesis, she said, is considering renovations over the next budget year to the dementia unit on the third floor, designed to create more of a homelike atmosphere.
Beatty said people who stay for short terms, generally up to 100 days, make up about 15 percent of all patients, and many are young and have sustained injuries or illnesses they are recovering from. Often they are looking for more privacy, as well as internet and other services.
“They really want their personal space. They want the private room,” she said.
“Short-term is not the biggest but it is the most changing (segment),” Hickey said.
The Bennington center is licensed for 91 patients.
During the months leading to approval of the sale by Vermont health care officials, Genesis operated the facilities under a management contract, Morton said, which staff members at the Bennington property said led to a smooth transition.
Morton, who also is administrator of the Genesis-owned Mountain View Center in Rutland, is well acquainted with Bennington Health and Rehab, having served as administrator there before leaving in 2005. In fact, she hired both Beatty and Hickey during her tenure there.
Beatty said Morton was her mentor in the business. After working for a different company for the past few years, Beatty said she recently returned to Bennington Health and Rehab after learning of the opening here from Morton.
On its website, Genesis, based in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, lists more than 500 skilled nursing centers and assisted/senior living communities in 34 states, as well as the Genesis Rehab Services division, providing therapy in approximately 1,700 locations in 45 states and the District of Columbia.
