The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society on Wednesday announced its new president and CEO: Nathan Schema.

Schema will assume the role on Jan. 1, as the non-profit giant enters its 100th year as an organization. Good Sam’s current president and CEO Randy Bury will retire effective Dec. 31, the Sioux Falls, S.D.-based operator said in a statement.

Schema began his career in long-term care 15 years ago as an administrator-in-training in Mountain Lake, Minn. Since then, he has built his career at Good Sam most recently as its vice president of operations, serving the organization’s 24-state footprint.

He has also served as a nursing home administrator, associate director of operations and regional vice president of operations for Good Samaritan.

Schema believes different funding mechanisms will need to be introduced with the support of state and federal government in order to maintain the same level of care coming out of the pandemic.

“We are going to need our states to come forward and augment that reimbursement, if we’re going to continue to have that access available,” said Schema. “We’ve got so many communities where we would love to be serving more people today, but we just aren’t able to provide the quality of care that we’ve become known for in the current environment.”

As a subsidiary of Sanford Health, also headquartered in South Dakota, Good Samaritan is in a unique position to offer services across a wide expanse of the care continuum and partner with area hospitals for specialty services.

The two non-profits closed on their affiliation in January 2019, making Sanford the parent company.

As a combined organization, Sanford employs upwards of 50,000 people and offers hospital services, health insurance and senior care. Good Samaritan offers long-term care, rehabilitation therapy, senior living, caregiver support and home-based services across 300-plus locations.

Sanford Health has given Good Sam “tremendous opportunities” to shape the future of post-acute and long-term care, Schema said, while also providing needed resources during the pandemic and worsening direct care worker shortage.

“Being a part of an integrated health system now we have the ability to share data so much more seamlessly and effectively,” said Schema, mentioning a pilot program in three of its facilities, where electronic medical records (EMRs) are transferred from one part of the care continuum to another, saving direct caregivers hours of work and ensuring accuracy.

“We don’t have [medication] errors, we don’t have reconciliation errors as we transition a patient or a resident from one care setting to another,” added Schema.

When the merger with Sanford first closed, Bury told Skilled Nursing News that the move provided a way for Good Samaritan to more fully capture different aspects of the continuum of care, particularly from a hospital setting to the skilled nursing facility.

“I think we have made some good progress in that area,” Bury told Skilled Nursing News  Wednesday, referring to better coverage across the care continuum. “I think we’d be even further along, of course, if the pandemic hadn’t come along and diverted our attention for about 18 months.”

“Nate’s deep experience in post-acute operations leadership positions him well to lead the organization during a pivotal time in the industry,” Matt Hocks, COO of Sanford Health, said in a statement.