Operators in the skilled nursing industry face unique challenges to company growth at this point in the pandemic, with buyers desperate to acquire facility licenses for understaffed buildings, while many continue to lag behind pre-pandemic occupancy levels.
Mission Health Communities will continue to grow “where it makes sense,” CEO Stuart Lindeman told Skilled Nursing News, and run new facilities with local staff and executive teams.
Growth is up against staffing shortages, an issue Lindeman says is “a problem everywhere.” Mission Health is not immune to staffing woes, he said, but programs established in the last several years have helped them meet the challenge.
The operator has plans to expand Discover You, a program focused on furthering education for certified nursing assistants (CNAs), to include licensed practical nurses (LPNs).
“We want to create a career path for our nursing assistants, and for our nurses,” said Lindeman. “They can learn more and then get to earn additional dollars and grow in their career.”
Another program focuses on mentorships, Lindeman explained, where new staff members are paired with a mentor and both sides get a bonus for participation. While the program was written and discussed, it wasn’t actually rolled out until COVID hit.
Mission Health tested the program in Kansas more than a year ago: the company saw a 90-92% retention rate out of roughly 120 employees hired and trained as nursing assistants.
“We’ve invested a lot, close to $1 million in Kansas alone, to try to improve the staffing situation, to be a better employer,” added Lindeman. “In 2022 we have budgeted for that program to grow across the entire company.”
While Mission is based out of Florida and there are centralized systems and processes in place to run a national company, day-to-day operations can vary based on location.
“What works in Minneapolis, Minnesota doesn’t necessarily work in Minneapolis, Kansas. What works in Clearwater, Florida may work in Clearwater, Kansas. We understand that and I think that’s what’s separating us from others,” said Lindeman. “It’s really been a successful model for us.”
Like any health care service, skilled nursing is a local business and operators should always take that into account as well when considering growth, Lindeman explained.
Florida-based Mission Health, which manages mostly skilled nursing facilities, with some seniors housing, was founded in 2006; Mission initially operated 11 facilities in Texas, Georgia and Tennessee.
Currently, Mission Health owns and operates 55 facilities.
Lindeman has 35-plus years of experience in the long-term care space, brought on at Mission in 2012 to help the company transition from a regional operator to the national stage.
“In 2015 we started looking at some distressed facilities, but really in 2018 we started taking over buildings that were in big trouble. States would call us in, the state of Kansas had us run 23 buildings that they took over in a receivership,” said Lindeman, referring to the company’s acquisition of 15 properties formerly owned by Skyline Healthcare.
Mission Health formally took control of the properties in October 2019 after a more than 18-month receivership process.
“That business continued to grow and we started managing for other people. That side of our business has continued to take off. We own, operate and manage our own buildings and then we manage on behalf of other people too. And then we’ve grown our consulting business over the last couple of years especially.”
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