The Ensign Group Acquires Iowa Skilled Nursing Fac

MISSION VIEJO, Calif., April 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENSG ), the parent company of the Ensign™ group of skilled nursing, rehabilitative care services, home health care, hospice care and assisted living companies, announced today that it acquired the Rehabilitation Center of Des Moines, a 74-bed skilled nursing operation in Des Moines, Iowa.  The facility is subject to a long-term lease and the acquisition was effective April 1, 2017.

“We are excited to add a sixth operation to our portfolio in Iowa,” said Christopher Christensen, Ensign's President and Chief Executive Officer.  “We are especially pleased to be joining Des Moines’s vibrant and well-regarded healthcare community for the first time as we seek to become the operation of choice in this market,” he added.

"We are proud to be joining a wonderful team of caregivers as we seek to reinforce and strengthen the caring, patient-centered environment they have created here," said John Albrechtsen, President of Gateway Healthcare, Inc., Ensign’s Midwest-based subsidiary.  He added that the residents, their families, and the broader community have embraced the news of Gateway’s acquisition of this facility and are encouraged by the reputation our local operators have achieved. He also reported that Des Moines had an occupancy rate of approximately 74% at acquisition.

This acquisition brings Ensign's growing portfolio to 214 healthcare facilities, twenty hospice agencies, seventeen home health agencies and three home care businesses across fourteen states.  Mr. Christensen reaffirmed that the organization is actively seeking opportunities to acquire real estate and to lease both well-performing and struggling skilled nursing, assisted living and other healthcare related businesses throughout the United States.

About Ensign(TM)

The Ensign Group, Inc.'s independent operating subsidiaries provide a broad spectrum of skilled nursing and assisted living services, physical, occupational and speech therapies, home health and hospice services and other rehabilitative and healthcare services at 214 healthcare facilities, twenty hospice agencies, seventeen home health agencies and three home care businesses in California, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Nebraska, Oregon, Wisconsin, Kansas and South Carolina. More information about Ensign is available at  http://www.ensigngroup.net .

Contact Information The Ensign Group, Inc., (949) 487-9500, ir@ensigngroup.net