MMC, Portland Diocese reach agreement on ownership transfer of St. Joseph's rehab facility

Photo / Tim Greenway Richard Petersen, president and CEO of Maine Medical Center in Portland, sees benefits from the pending transfer of ownership of Saint Joseph's Rehabilitation and Residence from the Roman Catholic Diocese in Portland to the hospital.

Write a Comment

By Staff

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has signed a memorandum of understanding to transfer ownership of Saint Joseph’s Rehabilitation and Residence to Maine Medical Center.

Saint Joseph’s Rehabilitation and Residence is a 121-bed facility on Washington Avenue in Portland offering multidisciplinary rehabilitation and short-stay care, long-term care and memory care. It also offers services for those transitioning out of the hospital.

John Porter, a spokesman for MMC, told Mainebiz the ownership transfer is undergoing a due diligence review by the hospital and also will be subject to review by state regulators within the Department of Health and Human Services.

“We’d love to complete the due diligence by the end of June but probably by the end of summer is more realistic,” he said, noting that financials of the ownership transfer wouldn’t be available until MMC’s due diligence and the state’s certificate-of-need process were concluded.

MMC, a member of the MaineHealth system, is the state’s largest medical center, with a license for 637 beds and nearly 6,500 employees.

Continuum of care

Richard Petersen, president and CEO of MMC, said the Saint Joseph’s facility would strengthen the hospital’s ability to serve the elderly population as well as those needing long-term care.

“Our hospital depends on facilities like Saint Joseph’s to provide patients with a continuum of quality care,” Petersen said in a news release. “We can do amazing things for people with today’s technology, but not everybody we treat is ready to go home following their care at Maine Medical Center. It’s important that those patients are able to get the quality skilled nursing care they need. Additionally, many of our elderly Portland residents require long-term care.”

In addition to signing the memorandum of understanding, MMC and the diocese also plan to file a letter of intent with state regulators at the Certificate of Need Unit of the Department of Health and Human Services. Barring an unforeseen development in the due diligence process, the transfer of ownership is expected to be made official in the coming months.

Petersen said Saint Joseph’s would continue to operate as a free-standing facility and there would be no disruptions for current residents. He added that the transaction would enable clinical and operational expertise to be shared between the skilled nursing home and the hospital’s other operations.

About Saint Joseph's

Bishop Robert P. Deeley, president of the Saint Joseph’s board of directors, said the ownership transfer provides benefits to the diocese’s rehabilitation facility as well.

“With firm roots in our community, Maine Medical Center is an outstanding local provider of health care services that can bring a deep level of expertise to Saint Joseph’s,” he said.

Founded in 1975, Saint Joseph’s was rated a “4-Star Facility” by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2016 and found to be “deficiency free” by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

Last September it received the Maine Health Care Association Celebrating Excellence in Innovation Award for its commitment to improving resident quality of life and care, enhancing employee development and engaging community members in facility life.

Its 121-bed facility on Washington Avenue offers skilled nursing and rehabilitation, long-term care, memory care, palliative care and hospice, pastoral care and respite care.