On Wednesday, the Boards of Directors for both Aviv Centers for Living, Inc. (Aviv) and the Chelsea Jewish Nursing Home Foundation, Inc. (CJF) made public their decision to combine operations in order to better serve the senior population north of Boston.
The merger will position the combined entity as the North Shore’s largest senior living non-profit, with CJF assuming operational management of Aviv’s properties. This follows CJF’s track record of similar strategic combinations, including its merger with Annemark Nursing Home in Revere several years prior.
Operating from its Chelsea base, CJF provides an array of care options including independent living residences, skilled and short-term rehab facilities, specialized and traditional assisted living, home care, personal care services, hospice programs, and educational initiatives—currently reaching more than 500 individuals. Founded in Chelsea, the organization has developed innovative care delivery models.
Aviv operates on a unified Peabody campus where it serves more than 300 residents and patients through an integrated care system. Its service offerings span geriatric care management, homecare, short-term rehabilitation, adult day health, skilled nursing, and assisted living.
The combined organization will be managed by the CJF leadership team. Aviv will retain its name and continue operating its individual facilities—the Waldfogel Health Center, Shapiro-Rudolph Adult Day Health, and the Woodbridge Assisted Living complex—from its Peabody location.
Eric S. Levy, Chair of the Aviv Board of Directors, explained that “fblikebutton_button” Nearly two years ago, cognizant of the changing health care environment, our Board set a strategic goal of developing a long term plan that would ensure the continuation of Aviv’s mission for generations to come, and over the past year we explored a wide range of potential affiliations and structures in order to accomplish that goal.
Levy further noted that This comprehensive process opened many conversations and enabled us to examine many potential opportunities. Today we are confident that combining with the Chelsea Jewish Foundation, given its 90-plus-year history and health care management expertise, along with our shared missions and values, ensures that our community will be well-served now and in the future.
The merger aligns well with current market conditions, according to CJF CEO Barry Berman. Chelsea Jewish is honored to carry on the responsibility for Aviv’s 70-year commitment to providing the highest quality health care, living options and support services for seniors, said Berman. Joining these two organizations together makes a great deal of sense at this point in time, given the complexities of a vastly-changed and evolving health care system.
Adam Berman, who serves as president of CJF, characterized the merger as This is a tremendous opportunity to serve the growing senior population in Greater Boston, and combining only expands and enhances our ability to support and serve the community.
The CJF workforce consists of more than 600 employees across all operations.
Aviv Centers for Living has maintained its position as a senior care leader on the North Shore of Massachusetts since its founding in 1945.