Ensign buys Utah care facilities

The Ensign Group Inc. of Mission Viejo, California, has acquired two skilled nursing and one intermediate care facilties in Utah. The facilities are Utah Valley Healthcare and Rehabilitation, a 99-bed skilled nursing facility in Provo; Heritage Park Healthcare and Rehabilitation, a 115-bed skilled nursing facility in Roy; and Wide Horizons Intermediate Care Facility, an 83-bed intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disability in Ogden.

The Ensign Group owns 216 rehabilitative care services, home healthcare, hospice care and assisted living companies throughout the West, Midwest and South. The company has also purchased Meadow View Nursing and Rehabilitation, a 112-bed skilled nursing facility in Nampa, Idaho.

The acquisitions occurred with closing dates of May 1 and June 1. The average occupancy rate at the time of acquisition was 82 percent, Ensign said in a release.

“We are excited to work together with the incredible team of caregivers to enrich the lives of the residents and their families at each of these operations,” said Christopher Christensen, Ensign’s president and CEO.  “We are anxious to continue the process of overcoming challenges of the past. With a solid team in place at each new operation, we look forward to being a top-notch post-acute care partner to the local healthcare community.”

Spencer Burton, president of one of Ensign’s Utah-based portfolio companies, said, “These new operations will mesh well with our existing footprint in nearby geographies. The operations in Roy and Ogden serve a unique population and will be a very nice complement to the services already offered by our other operations in the area.” 

Burton said that Utah Valley Healthcare and Rehabilitation would not continue to operate as a skilled nursing facility in the future.  He said, “We have been working with patients and their families, as well as caregivers, to provide them with many excellent options to continue receiving or providing care at a nearby healthcare facility.  We are pleased that so far most have chosen to relocate to other Ensign-affiliated operations, two of which are just a few short miles away.”  He also said Ensign is currently in the process of evaluating its options for the future of the Utah Valley operation.