Rolling Fields Elder Care Community sold to nonprofit organization

March 01--SUMMERHILL TOWNSHIP -- Rolling Fields Elder Care Community is being purchased by Heritage Ministries and its affiliates, Heritage President and CEO David Smeltzer announced Wednesday.

The transfer of stock from the three family members who currently own the facility to Heritage is expected to be completed in the next 10 days, Smeltzer said in an interview. He declined to reveal the cost of the transaction.

The 181-bed senior-care facility located just outside of Conneautville also offers on-site childcare services for employee care partners and the community, outpatient rehabilitation and includes four independent-living retirement residences. Heritage Ministries is a senior-focused human services provider based in Gerry, New York, and is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church.

"We are excited about the opportunity to continue ... providing the highest quality of care and services to elders in Conneautville and the surrounding communities," Smeltzer said in a statement released by Heritage.

In explaining the motivation for the acquisition, Smeltzer placed particular emphasis on "the great legacy of Duane and Marlene Braham and their family," the former owners of Rolling Fields.

"It is their focus on providing person-centered care with a commitment to excellence that attracted Heritage to this acquisition," he said.

The location's history as an elder-care facility dates back nearly 100 years. The Ida M. Cribbs Memorial Home was dedicated by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1921. The Brahams purchased the home from Elwood Heaster in 1968. The current facility was constructed in 1979 with 121 beds. A 60-bed addition was constructed in 1995.

"I am very excited to have worked with Heritage and especially David in making this opportunity a reality," said Kim Braham-Moody, a member of the current generation of Braham-family owners. "Heritage, with their expanding resources, will bring new opportunities into the community we have cared about for so many years.

"I am certain that this venture will only benefit both organizations and know that our family is leaving our legacy in very capable hands," she added.

With this acquisition, Heritage and its affiliates will have assets in excess of $132 million, will employ approximately 1,400 team members and will serve more than 2,400 individuals yearly. In addition to locations in Chautauqua County, New York, Heritage has locations in Woodstock, Illinois, and Seattle.

Jeff Ondrey, vice president of skilled nursing operations for Heritage, will serve as the administrator of record for Rolling Fields while conducting a search for a qualified administrator.

In his statement, Smeltzer expressed support for the current employees at Rolling Fields.

"We are also committed to the great group of care-partners (employees) who work at Rolling Fields, and we welcome them to the Heritage family," he said.

Smeltzer added that Heritage's larger organization would allow them to provide improved employee benefits.

The transition from family-owned, for-profit corporation to nonprofit will have less of an impact, he said, than the move from independent operation to being part of a larger network.

"As a stand-alone facility, whether it's for-profit or not-for-profit, it's very hard for an organization to have all of the expertise you need to meet today's regulatory environment," Smeltzer said. "We're staffed up to be able to address those types of situations."

Mike Crowley can be reached at 724-6370 or by email at [email protected].

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