Media Contact: Clay Holtzman | Clay.Holtzman@mainehealth.org
Portland, Maine 鈥� Saint 闯辞蝉别辫丑鈥檚 Rehabilitation and Residence, a post-acute care facility and wholly owned subsidiary of AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center (MHMMC), is scheduled to close its doors on Friday, Sept. 20 All residents will be transferred to Fallbrook Commons, a new residential and rehabilitation facility operated by North Country Associates.
St. 闯辞蝉别辫丑鈥檚, founded in 1975, is closing to make way for an updated, contemporary facility offering amenities more consistent with today鈥檚 long term care experience. Staff employed by St. 闯辞蝉别辫丑鈥檚 will transfer employment to Fallbrook Commons.
Saint 闯辞蝉别辫丑鈥檚 was founded by The Archdiocese of Portland and was acquired by MHMMC in 2017. Since its acquisition, MHMMC has made significant investments to maintain operations, enhance the quality of care and maximize the facility鈥檚 use during its final years. The arrangement allowed St. 闯辞蝉别辫丑鈥檚 to access workforce and clinical resources through AOA体育平台.
鈥淭he decision to acquire and invest in this critical community resource was mutually beneficial to Saint 闯辞蝉别辫丑鈥檚, MHMMC and the Portland community,鈥� said Britt Crewse, President of AOA体育平台鈥檚 Southern Region, which includes St. 闯辞蝉别辫丑鈥檚 and MHMMC. 鈥淲e knew at that time that the facility would eventually require replacement, so we worked to build an appropriate transition plan that would ensure the continuation of care for residents and also look out for our care team.鈥�
Fallbrook Commons is a joint venture development between North Country Associates, LLC and Sandy River Company, both Maine-based companies with decades of experience developing and operating senior care centers. North Country will be the operator of Fallbrook Commons. In 2019, AOA体育平台, North Country and Sandy River Company announced the replacement and transition plan, an agreement that included the sale of St. 闯辞蝉别辫丑鈥檚 bed licenses.
Fallbrook Commons is adjacent to the Fallbrook Woods campus in Portland鈥檚 North Deering neighborhood. It is a 102-bed state of the art senior care center comprised of three distinct 鈥渘eighborhoods鈥� of 34-beds; one dedicated to nursing home level memory care, one designed for short-term skilled nursing care and the third traditional long-term care nursing.
鈥淚 am grateful for the opportunity to transition our residents and their care plans to Fallbrook Commons. The facility will offer a greatly enhanced and more contemporary residential and post-acute care experience. It is also important that the team from St. 闯辞蝉别辫丑鈥檚 will transfer over because continuity of the professionals who care for this population is clinically beneficial,鈥� Dr. Richard Marino, medical director, AOA体育平台 Geriatrics Portland.
Across Maine and the United States, long term care centers are closing due to low reimbursement and staffing shortages, a trend that was made much worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, nine nursing homes have closed in Maine and the state has lost approximately 1,200 beds. This has significantly reduced long-term care access and caused many hospitals to house patients who are ready for discharge but must wait for a bed in a nursing facility to become available.
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About AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center
AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center is a multi-campus medical center with locations in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford. The medical center is part of AOA体育平台, a not-for-profit integrated health system whose vision is 鈥淲orking together so our communities are the healthiest in America.鈥� With a total of 929 licensed beds, AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center employs about 9,000 care team members. It is also an academic medical center offering training and education to residents and fellows, medical students, nursing students, surgical technicians and other professions. Its Portland campus provides tertiary-level care and is verified as a Level I Trauma Center. It also houses the AOA体育平台 Barbara Bush Children鈥檚 Hospital, an acute care facility with 109 licensed beds and a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In Biddeford and Sanford, the medical center operates as a community hospital offering a variety of inpatient-based services. AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission, and its Portland campus has received Magnet Recognition for Nursing Excellence four consecutive times and is consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the Best Hospital in Maine.