Links Healthcare Group is in the early stages of acquiring First Atlantic Healthcare’s portfolio of 20 nursing homes and assisted-living facilities based in Maine.
The facilities changing hands span nine Maine counties and include more than 1,300 beds, making the deal a significant potential change in ownership across the state’s long-term-care system.
First Atlantic jointly runs six long-term care facilities with Northern Light Health, including some it acquired within the last two years. Northern Light said it has “appreciated the collegial partnership we have enjoyed with First Atlantic through the years.”
The ownership transition comes as the First Atlantic Healthcare’s founders prepare to fully retire, Northern Light spokesperson Suzanne Spruce told the Maine newspaper.
“We are heartened that First Atlantic has taken steps to preserve access to care for the residential communities throughout Maine,” she said.
The sale could be completed before the end of the year, Jennifer Clarke, an executive administrative assistant at First Atlantic said pending state approval told the Bangor Daily News states.
“Our residents and their families will continue to receive the same safe, compassionate, and high-quality care they have come to expect from us today and into the future,” Clarke said.
Links Healthcare operates more than 32 facilities across California and Tennessee. The San Diego–based post-acute care operator is an operating partner of CareTrust REIT (NYSE: CTRE), with 10 of its facilities acquired by CareTrust in late 2024.
Founded in 2017, Links Healthcare began as a support services company dedicated to the training and development of health care leaders in the skilled nursing industry, according to its LinkedIn profile.
Links Healthcare facilities hold an average CMS Care Compare quality rating of 4.1 Stars. Its serious nursing-home deficiency rate is less than half the national average, according to Nursing Home Inspect, while First Atlantic’s is even lower, although the data exclude some of the facilities First Atlantic operates.
Links Healthcare’s co-founder and co-CEO, Toby Tilford, confirmed that his company is in the process of acquiring First Atlantic’s facilities.
The price, specific deal structure and post-acquisition plans and other terms of the transction have not yet been disclosed.
Companies featured in this article:
CareTrust REIT, First Atlantic, Links Healthcare Group, Northern Light Health
