Phoebe Senior Living at Morningside sold to Phoenix Senior Living

ALBANY — Effective Wednesday, Phoebe Putney Health System has sold its Phoebe Senior Living at Morningside facility to the Roswell-based Phoenix Senior Living, which has renamed the center The Phoenix at Albany.

The center, located on 22 acres on Beattie Road, offers 68 units, includes 50 suites for assisted living and 18 secure suites providing specialized memory care. The acquisition allows Phoenix to expand its relationship with affiliates of Care Investment Trust, a New York-based real estate company focused on senior housing.

Phoenix officials said the facility will offer “innovative, and personalized services for seniors and their families.” It is expected to provide a home-like environment with active days for its residents integrated into individual care plans under the supervision of a team of certified dementia practitioners.

Officials said Phoenix’s “Live, Love, Learn” philosophy will be incorporated into every aspect of its care program designed to coincide with the National Wellness Institute’s Six Dimensions of Wellness: emotional, physical, cognitive, occupational, spiritual and social.

“We are people serving people and we know when it comes to a loved one, everything matters,” Phoenix CEO Jesse Marinko said. “The community, the environment, the care, the programs and our teams represent that core belief at every Phoenix Senior Living community. We are excited to serve seniors, their families and the local community in Dougherty County and look forward to a strong partnership with the city of Albany.

“We are an organization that lives our philosophies each day. The values we stand by are mirrored in our commitment to serving with excellence and compassion, supported by a positive and thriving environment for our team, which will deliver on our promises. Being able to bring our commitment to quality care for seniors and their families to Albany truly matters to us. We are pleased to partner with Care Investment Trust as their philosophical foundation and commitment to strong partnerships aligns so well with ours.”

Phoenix COO Tim Bush said the acquisition was six months in the making and that the purchase should help the facility in that it will be operated by a company solely devoted to senior care.

“This is all we do and all we want to do,” he said. “(It will now be a) laser-focused operation rather than a part of a bigger system.”

Bush said Phoenix officials have been doing meet-and-greets in the Albany center, and the staff and residents have been very welcoming of the change. He added that implementation of WiFi technology and electronic health records is expected at the center, along with changes and upgrades in its kitchen area.

“We are quickly growing, and we are a fast-growing company that wanted to be a regional company,” he said. “We have no aspirations to grow out of the (Southeast).”

Phoebe officials formally announced closure on the sale Thursday, stating that the sale transfers an important asset to an organization whose core business is senior care and allows Phoebe to redeploy the proceeds from the transaction to boost its core missions of providing acute care and primary care services in Southwest Georgia.

“We worked diligently to find an owner and operator we could trust to provide the best possible senior living experience to residents and to continue to meet the needs of our community’s seniors by offering outstanding senior living for many years to come,” Tom Sullivan, senior vice president of operations at Phoebe, said.

Phoebe officials said they have worked with residents and employees on a seamless transition.

“We have been working closely with residents and their families to answer all their questions and give them full understanding of the transition,” Sullivan said.

Bush said the employees at the center will have to apply to enter the Phoenix system like any potential employee, so it was not immediately clear Thursday how many current staff members will be retained.

“Everyone is welcome to apply,” he said. “From what I understand, it is a high percentage of people.”

Becky Hendricks, who had been working as administrative director at Morningside, is continuing to serve in the center director’s role under the Phoenix name.

Phoenix Senior Living currently operates eight senior living communities and has three additional communities under construction. For information on The Phoenix at Albany, call (229) 483-0325.