Editor’s Note: An earlier web version of this article, which also appears in the February print edition of The Monitor Magazine, incorrectly includes the term “Catholic identity” in describing the future plans of St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center and Morris Hall under its new owners. While some Catholic features and services will remain, these facilities are no longer part of a Catholic institution and will be operated by a secular organization.
St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center and Morris Hall, the Catholic health care and senior living facilities in Lawrenceville previously owned and financed by the Diocese of Trenton, were sold Feb. 1 to Tryko Partners, LLC – a real estate investment group based in Brick that purchases multifamily properties, healthcare facilities and service entities.
The sale includes the nursing and rehabilitation facilities of SLRC and Morris Hall, which comprises Morris Hall Meadows, St. Mary’s Assisted Living and St. Joseph’s Skilled Nursing Center. Meanwhile the retirement home for diocesan priests that shares the SLRC campus – Villa Vianney – will be retained by the Diocese.
“The new owners have contracted to operate [Villa Vianney], to provide food and housekeeping, since they have the staff and food services already for St. Lawrence,” said Kevin Cimei, the Diocese’s chief fiscal officer. The proximity to SLRC is also convenient, as it allows for a swift transfer of resident priests to the rehabilitation building next door when needed.
According to Uri Kahanow, Tryko Partners’ director of acquisitions, “each of the four components will have its own branding and will be self-operated with the support of Marquis Health Consulting Services.” New monikers will be Lawrence Rehabilitation Hospital (acute rehab and subacute care); Lawrence Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center (skilled nursing); The Terraces at Lawrence (assisted living, formerly St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s), and The Meadows at Lawrence (cottage/greenhouse model skilled nursing, formerly Morris Hall Meadows).
Administrative and consulting services will be provided to all four campus entities by Marquis. “Such support enables its clients to overachieve their quality and customer service goals by embracing a progressive, multi-specialty approach to healthcare,” Kahanow said. “St. Lawrence will join the nursing facilities and senior living communities currently supported by Marquis along the Eastern Seaboard.”
The transition of the property began in 2021, when the Diocese was advised by St. Lawrence’s outgoing CEO that a sale might be prudent in light of financial concerns.
“The reality is, it’s increasingly difficult to stay competitive as a single home operation,” Cimei explained. “There are economies of scale … and other ways of thinking about things that you don’t get as a one-unit operation.”
Additional reasons for selling included the ongoing need to reinvest in the facilities to keep them state of the art, “and that costs money,” Cimei noted, “something that the buyer is better suited to do than a standalone non-profit facility.
“There are a lot of approvals required with sale of a healthcare facility,” he continued. “We conducted a request for offers process, got bids and selected the best bid, then it took the last year to close.”
According to Cimei, the new owners will maintain the familiar Catholic symbols and features, such as the chapel and Catholic statuary. Although the facility will no longer be a Catholic institution, Father Angelo Amaral will continue to serve as a full-time chaplain, offering pastoral services and celebrating Mass regularly.
All in-place features are expected to continue, uninterrupted,” Kahanow confirmed. “The new community will strive to sustain the rich legacy of the St. Lawrence campus in the form of spiritual offerings, proven clinical care models and patient-centric service.”
Kahanow said that their company’s intent is to provide tools, resources and guidance that will enable the four distinct components to build on their strong foundations. “This includes elevated clinical offerings and patient experiences and upgraded physical plant and amenities by way of a substantial campus modernization and infrastructure upgrade,” he said.