Atria Senior Living is shuttering its New York-based home care subsidiary in an effort to focus on its core business of senior living.
In a “warn unit” notice filed Oct. 10 with the New York Department of Labor, Atria Home Care cited economic reasons for the layoffs of 161 employees from its Garden City, NY-based home care business, which will be effective Jan. 8.
“After careful consideration, we have made the decision to discontinue operations at Atria Home Care in an effort to focus on our core business of social model senior living communities,” a spokesperson for Atria told McKnight’s Senior Living. “We are working with all home care customers and employees on a transition to other home care providers and are committed to supporting our employees and clients through these changes over the next several weeks.”
Louisville, KY-based Atria launched its home care agency to supplement the 30 assisted living communities it operates in the New York metropolitan area. In March, CEO Holly Belter-Chesser told McKnight’s Senior Living that Atria Home Care had a “strong relationship” with its Atria Senior Living assisted living communities in New York.
“That synergy was a meaningful piece of the Atria Home Care product since the beginning,” she said at the time.
The home care business is operated separately and is independent of Atria senior living communities.
The senior living operator has grown to more than 300 independent living, assisted living and memory care communities throughout the United States and Canada, according to its website. The company’s footprint includes 198 communities in its Holiday by Atria portfolio, 93 Atria Senior Living communities, 29 Atria Retirement Canada communities, four Atria Signature Collection communities and two Coterie Senior Living communities, according to a 2023 Achievement Report. In total, Atria has locations in 44 states and 7 Canadian provinces, collectively housing 35,000 residents and employing 13,000 workers.
The company is the third largest operator of senior living communities in the United States, according to the 2024 ASHA 50 list from the American Seniors Housing Association. The list is based on data as of June 1. On Argentum’s lists of largest providers for 2024, Atria took the No. 2 spot on the overall list and topped the list of independent living companies.
Atria’s size made it a company of interest in January when the US Senate Special Committee on Aging launched a review of the assisted living industry following articles in the Washington Post, the New York Times and KFF Health News that detailed resident elopements, industry pricing and the for-profit status of most providers.
The committee’s chairman, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), scheduled a hearing and also sent letters to the leaders of Atria, Brookdale Senior Living and Sunrise Senior Living, asking them to answer questions about costs, staffing levels and resident safety.
“We responded to Sen. Casey with a wide range of information, including costs, staffing, communication with residents and families, and safety and appreciate his interest in the assisted living industry,” Belter-Chesser told McKnight’s Senior Living after the inquiry. “We welcome the opportunity to partner with those who share our commitment to ensuring seniors receive the quality care they deserve.”
