BANGOR, Maine — A Bangor rehabilitation and Alzheimer’s care facility has been acquired by a regional company that owns 40 rehab and assisted living centers in seven states across the Northeast, including seven in Maine.
The Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation — Westgate facility on Union Street has been acquired by National Health Care Associates Inc., the company announced Friday.
The facility will be renamed Westgate Center for Rehabilitation & Alzheimer’s Care, but aside from that, little is expected to change, according to Tim Brown, National’s communications director.
Kentucky-based Kindred Healthcare approached National Health Care to broker the change in ownership, Brown said. Kindred has been shedding similar rehabilitation centers in recent years, including seven Maine-based facilities acquired by National last year — Augusta Center for Health & Rehabilitation, Brentwood Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Yarmouth, Brewer Center for Health and Rehabilitation, Eastside Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Bangor, Kennebunk Center for Health and Rehabilitation, Norway Center for Health and Rehabilitation, and Winship Green Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Bath.
Details of the Westgate acquisition were not immediately available. A Kindred spokesperson did not immediately return a message Friday requesting comment.
Kindred has been selling dozens of such rehabilitation centers across the country in recent years. After a series of sales in 2013, the Wall Street Journal reported Kindred was aiming to “divest from locations outside its core markets” and use proceeds from the sales to “pay down the balance in its revolving credit facility.”
Kirby Whitney, administrator for Westgate, said the only major change expected at the Bangor facility is “just the name on the sign.” Westgate does anticipate minor switches in computer programs and “a few new ways of doing things internally,” Whitney added.
Westgate has capacity for 104 residents and has been in business since 1969, Whitney said. Staffing and the number of beds at the facility aren’t expected to change.
Brown said that the sale becomes effective June 1, but a team from National will be in Bangor over the weekend to assist with the changeover.
“We’ll take an if-it’s-not-broken-don’t-fix-it approach,” Brown said, adding that National doesn’t anticipate any changes to leadership or staff.