Concordia officially acquires Bethlen
The Concordia Lutheran Ministries community has officially grown in size.
After nearly four months of planning, Bethlen Communities in Ligonier, Westmoreland County has joined the Concordia Lutheran Ministries family of locations according to Frank Skrip, Concordia director of public relations.
“We feel blessed and humbled more than anything else,” Skrip said. “These are not easy times to be in the business of caring for others, especially seniors. To be able to preserve a 100-plus-year-old Christian mission while expanding Concordia’s mission and footprint — we are just really honored.”
Bethlen Communities, now called Concordia at Bethlen, is a faith-based nonprofit organization.
Concordia, one of the nation's largest nonprofit senior care providers, serves about 50,000 people annually. Bethlen serves about 800 people annually at its sole location, Skrip said.
Concordia serves inpatients throughout Western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and Tampa, Fla. It is based in Cabot.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Concordia will be satisfying bank debts for Bethlen and also will infuse $2.5 million for capital improvements and to stabilize operations, Skrip said.
Aside from operational shortfalls, the money will be used for general capital improvements such as replacing and repairing roofs, HVAC units and some aesthetic enhancements, according to Skrip.
Saving money on supplies to help its large number of residents is one logistical advantage Skrip sees with acquisition.
“We also think we can make some pretty good strides at the location just by taking advantage of Concordia’s bulk purchasing power,” Skrip said. “It’s helped a lot of our smaller to mid-sized locations battle back against inflation rates.”
This acquisition aligns perfectly with Bethlen, Skrip said.
“There are a lot of similarities,” he said. “We are both faith-based nonprofits. Both have a history that dates back over 100 years. We even both started as orphanages before serving seniors. We are really excited for the opportunity.”
During the past 14 years, 10 senior care facilities and a number of home health and hospice care agencies have joined Concordia to become a “Christian consolidator” in the industry.
Concordia was founded in 1921, serving the needs of older individuals through personal care, memory care, skilled nurses, home health and hospice, independent retirement living, adult day services and more.
“Concordia Lutheran Ministries is a mission-driven organization, and we are always looking to help other Christian missions continue their work,” said Keith Frndak, Concordia Lutheran Ministries president and CEO.
The Evangelical Lutheran Concordia Home for Orphans and the Aged opened in 1881 after Christian and Margaretha Oertel started caring for two orphaned sisters on their farm in Cabot.
The couple donated their land to a group of Pittsburgh-area pastors to create a faith-based mission for orphans and the elderly, which eventually became Concordia Lutheran Ministries.
Bethlen got its start when it opened an orphanage in a former hotel in Ligonier to care for children of miners killed in the Darr Mining Disaster of 1907.
