Eight Guardian Elder Care skilled-nursing facilities — including Belair in Lower Burrell and Oak Hill in Hempfield — will be sold to GBK Eight LLC in a transaction recently approved by a federal Bankruptcy Court.
It also approved the transfer of operations for 11 other leased skilled-nursing facilities to New Jersey-based Oxford Valley Health, Guardian officials said in a statement Thursday.
The sale is expected to close in the near future. The transfer of operations for the leased facilities was completed Tuesday.
All of the facilities remain open, Guardian officials said. The Johnstown-based healthcare company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last summer.
In addition to Belair and Oak Hill, properties set to be sold to GBK Eight include Beaver Valley, Eldercrest, Fairmont, Havencrest, Highland View and Meadowcrest healthcare and rehabilitation centers.
Properties transferred to Oxford Valley Health include Clarion, Haida, Kinuza, Oil City, Richland, Shippenville, Titusville, Uniontown, Walnut Creek, Waynesburg and William Penn healthcare and rehab centers.
Representatives from GBK and Oxford Valley Health did n0t immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
“This transaction is a significant milestone that reflects our commitment to ensuring continuity of care and the best outcomes for our residents,” said Michael Herald, president and CEO of Guardian Healthcare.
“We believe this transition will enhance the resources available to these facilities, and we look forward to working with GBK Eight LLC and maintaining open lines of communication with our employees, residents and their families. In addition, we appreciate the outstanding dedication of our employees throughout this process.”
More than 700 union employees from 10 properties transferred to Oxford Valley ratified a new contract with the New Jersey-based business earlier this month, a Service Employees International Union spokeswoman said.
The three-year contract, according to the SEIU, provides an opportunity to negotiate wages next year, maintains wages, provides quality health insurance with low costs and offers other benefits such as training and education aid.
“The health insurance was a sticking point in negotiations for workers after Oxford Valley Health did not agree to honor the existing contract between the workers and Guardian Healthcare,” the SEIU said in a statement.