Commissioners, Premier sign sale agreement for Washington County Health Center
Observer-Reporter
Premier Health Center in Chartiers Township
Lisa Sofia, president and chief executive officer of Premier Healthcare Management LLC, talks with Washington County Commissioner Harlan Shober after the commissioners approved a formal agreement Friday morning to sell the health center in Arden, Chartiers Township, to Premier.
Lisa Sofia, as a child growing up in Philadelphia, dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon.
Her career path has included stints as a licensed practical nurse, registered nurse and nursing home administrator.
She earned a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees, and, although she’s not an M.D., she’s had a 36-year career in health care and came to Washington County Friday as president and chief executive officer of Premier Healthcare Management LLC, the company purchasing Washington County Health Center.
“I will tell you, driving up to the health center I was conpletely overwhelmed with the beauty of the grounds, and, going into the facility, the outstanding maintenance and cleanliness. I can’t accentuate that enough that it just left a tremedous impression on us,” she said.
“This feels like a place we want to bring on board and make it our own. The commissioners and the employees of the health center have really done a fantastic job of maintaining their facility and giving outstanding care to the residents. We have all intentions of doing the same as we do in all of our buildings.”
In meetings at the health center, Sofia told commissioners family members of patients “did nothing but praise the employees. They’ve built such a relationship with these residents, it’s very touching. You’ve done a great job, and I want to thank you for that.”
Sofia declined to discuss specific plans Premier may have for the 40-year-old health center.
“I like to have those kinds of discussions with the leadership of the facility first because they’re key in this and their opinion counts,” she said. “We’re able to now officially talk to them, and together make the decisions on what we’ll do first.”
The official action to which she was referring was the commissioners’ resolution authorizing the sale of the 288-bed health center Friday morning to Premier of Philadelphia, for $29.6 million.
The commissioners unanimously approved a resolution at a specially designated meeting Friday morning. Mark Stewart, the attorney representing the county in the transaction, said a closing is targeted for the first week of October.
Before casting his vote, Commission Chairman Larry Maggi talked of discussions the commissioners had as the facility operated in the red since 2012, costing county taxpayers about $9 million in subsidies.
“None of us take this vote without real serious deliberation,” Maggi said. “We did not make this decision with a lot of ease.” He thanked Vice Chairman Diana Irey Vaughan and Commissioner Harlan Shober for their team approach, noting, “For some commissioners, it’s very divisive. We tried to do what was best for Washington County.”
In a seventh-floor conference room at Courthouse Square, the commissioners and Sofia signed documents as part of a formal sales agreement.
The transaction was taking place against the backdrop of the attempted repeal of the Affordable Care Act and a host of significant changes related to the American health-care industry.
“As a health-care provider, we’re used to no increases in Medicaid,” Sofia said.
County Solicitor J. Lynn DeHaven said, “There’s more involved here than the transfer of real estate,” although the county’s ownership of the land, on behalf of the “directors of the poor,” dates to 1831.
The transfer of operations also is an important aspect of the sale, the solicitor said.
The $29.6 million is approximately $2 million more than the purchase price announced June 1 because Premier is including accounts receivable assets for goods and services.
Stewart said Premier will be depositing $750,000 toward the purchase.
Land covenants will require the building to remain a nursing home for 15 years, and the county wants to ensure the facility will remain accessible to those who are “less well-off financially who may be using Medicaid as a source of payment.”
Premier has 45 days to examine data from the health center, and it will be working toward getting state approval and similar licensure from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.