Ligonier-based senior care organization Bethlen Communities signed a letter of intent to join Concordia Lutheran Ministries, a senior health care network with in-home care and inpatient locations in western Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the country.

Both organizations “will work … toward an expected affiliation date in the spring,” officials said.

The two organizations will enter an agreement that establishes Concordia Lutheran Ministries as the parent corporation to Bethlen Communities’ existing nonprofit, said Molly Stiles, administrator of Bethlen nursing home.

Stiles said she anticipates an effective date of either April 1 or May 1.

“By retaining its existing nonprofit corporation and retaining its own board of directors, Bethlen continues to operate as its own company, but does so as a subsidiary corporation of Concordia Lutheran Ministries,” Stiles said in an email, adding that by becoming the parent of Bethlen, Concordia will assume all assets and liabilities of Bethlen Communities.

Bethlen may change its name to be consistent with other organizations within the Concordia network, Stiles said. There are no immediate plans to close or consolidate any of Bethlen facilities.

“Since Bethlen Communities will retain its existing nonprofit corporation, there are no changes anticipated for employees, patients or families,” she added.

Concordia CEO Keith Frndak said the move will help stabilize Bethlen.

“We anticipate making a significant financial infusion into the organization to make capital improvements and get bills paid,” Frndak said. “We see nothing negative at all for patients — we think we are trying to stabilize the place.”

Frndak said a due diligence period would last 60-90 days while Concordia and Bethlen “get all the information and work on a definitive agreement.”

He and his team spent Thursday meeting with patients and staff at Bethlen, he added.

“We have had four meetings with staff members to get their questions answered and explain things to them, (and) we have had three meetings with residents,” Frndak said. “It’s important that everybody knows what is happening, it is important that everybody is relaxed and confident and that we get good quality information in the grapevine, so we don’t cause any anxiety between patients or staff members.”

Background

The faith-based Bethlen Communities offers skilled nursing, personal care, memory care, home health and hospice, in-home companion caregiving services, respite care, independent retirement living, and adult day care service at locations in Ligonier.

Bethlen Home, its continuing care retirement community, was founded in 1921 by the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America as an orphanage following the Smithton Darr Coal Mine explosion. The home first added a center for care of the elderly in 1924.

According to its website, Bethlen serves nearly 2,000 seniors through its comprehensive wellness services, and has 198 employees. The organization provides both facility-based care and home-based care, and maintains the Graceful Aging Wellness Center, a fitness and wellness community in Ligonier that hosts classes and activities for older adults.

Concordia Lutheran Ministries was founded in 1881 and is one of the largest nonprofit senior care providers in the country. It serves 50,000 people annually in Western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and Tampa, Fla.

Concordia offers adult day services, home health care, hospice, medical and rehabilitation services, memory care, personal care, assisted living, respite care, retirement living, skilled nursing/short-term rehab, spiritual care and medical equipment.

Since 2009, Concordia has added 10 senior care and living facilities, along with a number of home health and hospice agencies, Concordia said.

“Concordia has worked to become a ‘Christian consolidator’ in the industry, to protect and preserve organizations with Christian roots and to aid in the long-term support of Christian health care ministries,” the announcement said. “Bethlen’s Christian ministry perfectly aligns with Concordia’s, and the board of directors at both organizations are excited for the opportunity to extend their healing mission together.”

During the upcoming due diligence period, Concordia will meet with Bethlen’s board of directors, staff members and department heads, Frndak said.

“We will be trying to get a vastly deeper understanding of every aspect of the organization, to determine if there’s ways we can provide efficiencies, better contracting or purchasing,” he said. “Part of this is preserving a 101-year-old Christian ministry, but we also want to find a way to do that and make it sustainable.”

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