Breakwater Commons, the skilled nursing facility on Old County Road in Rockland, is to be acquired by the Tide Group, a Utah-based private for-profit company that operates nursing and assisted living homes in Utah, Texas, Missouri, Massachusetts, and, if all continues according to plan, in Maine, as well.

On Nov. 4, an owner of the Breakwater Commons announced the transaction and said it would go through early next year.

"We expect the sale to be completed in early 2027, once final agreements and the required state and federal approvals are in place," wrote John Orestis, owner of North Country Associates, the Lewiston-based for-profit nursing home company teamed up with Sandy River Company in the construction of Breakwater Commons in 2021-2022. Breakwater Commons is a skilled nursing facility with a licensed capacity of 96 residents. 

The state approval process includes review and approval under Maine’s Certificate of Need law. Review documents for the Breakwater Common sale would appear on the Maine Dept. of Health and Human Services website.

When it was built, the $19.5 million, 69,356 square-foot facility replaced the MaineHealth-owned Knox Center in downtown Rockland, with some residents there moving over to Breakwater Commons. In 2021, Breakwater Commons was to be the first all-private bedroom nursing facility in the state of Maine, and one of only a few in the country, its developers said.

In 2020, when plans were presented to build Breakwater Commons, the new LLC was then to contract with MaineHealth, the umbrella nonprofit that owns the Midcoast Coastal Healthcare Alliance nonprofit, for a medical director to oversee the new facility. Breakwater Commons would comprise three units: Skilled nursing (short-term rehabilitation) and long-term, traditional nursing home for the elderly. 

In 2023, Mainehealth passed its interest to Breakwater Commons Operations LLC, and North Country Associates and Sandy River retained their interests.

But on Nov. 4, Orestis, CEO of North Country Associates, wrote in an announcement:

"North Country and its affiliated facility owners have signed an agreement to sell 15 of its skilled nursing, long-term care, residential care, memory care and independent living facilities. Tide Group, a growing healthcare organization operating 36 facilities across multiple states, including skilled nursing, long-term care, assisted living and memory care communities, will become the operator of the facilities included in the sale.

"The Maine communities will join Tide Health New England, where Tide currently operates 15 facilities in Massachusetts, supported by an experienced local leadership team. This is a planned transition, and I want to assure you that our commitment to providing personalized, exceptional care for our patients and residents will continue through the sale process. Tide Group has expressed a commitment to the continuity of care and operations.

The transaction includes the following facilities: Borderview Rehab & Living Center (Van Buren); Breakwater Commons (Rockland); Edgewood Rehab & Living Center (Farmington); Fallbrook Commons (Portland); Fallbrook Woods (Portland); Farmington Congregate at Orchard Park (Farmington); Maplecrest Rehab & Living Center (Madison); Market Square Health Care Center (South Paris); Orchard Park Rehab & Living Center (Farmington); Russell Park Rehab & Living Center (Lewiston); Sanfield Rehab & Living Center (Hartland); Schooner Estates Senior Living Community (Auburn); Schooner Memory Care (Auburn); Southridge Rehab & Living Center (Biddeford); and Summer Commons (Sanford).

"As North Country’s founder, I have been personally invested in the quality of our work for a long time. However, at 83, I feel it is time for me to pass the baton and spend more time with my family. I believe North Country is in a healthy, stable position and ready for this transfer. You have put your trust in our teams, and we want to maintain that trust and position Tide Group well so that it can carry that legacy forward."

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657