Chelsea Jewish Foundation to Merge with Aviv Centers

The Boards of Directors of the Chelsea Jewish Nursing Home Foundation, Inc. (CJF) and Aviv Centers for Living, Inc. (Aviv) announced Wednesday that the two organizations are combining to serve seniors north of Boston.

Together they will become the largest senior living non-profit organization on the North Shore, and CJF will manage the Aviv properties. CJF has been growing with such agreements, announcing a similar merger with Annemark Nursing Home in Revere a few years ago.

CJF was founded in Chelsea and operates innovative models of care which include skilled and short-term rehab residences, traditional and specialized assisted living options, independent living residences, educational programs, home care, personal care and hospice agencies serving more than 500 individuals.

Aviv is dedicated to enriching the lives of residents and program participants, and provides an integrated system of care on a single campus in Peabody. They offer assisted living, skilled nursing, adult day health, short-term rehabilitation, homecare and geriatric care management and currently serves more than 300 residents and patients.

The Chelsea Jewish Foundation (CJF) management team will operate the combined organization.  Peabody-based Aviv will continue to provide services under that name as well as the names of its individual facilities – the Waldfogel Health Center, Shapiro-Rudolph Adult Day Health, and the Woodbridge Assisted Living complex.

Said Eric S. Levy, Chair of the Aviv Board of Directors, “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.

“This comprehensive process opened many conversations and enabled us to examine many potential opportunities,” Levy continued. “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.”

CJF CEO Barry Berman said the combination makes great sense in today’s environment.

“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.”

Added Adam Berman, president of CJF, “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.”

CJF employs more than 600 individuals.

Aviv Centers for Living has been setting the standard for senior care on the North Shore of Massachusetts since 1945.

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