Jacksonville, Fla. – After two years of considerable research and consultation, the Diocese of St. Augustine has decided to sell All Saints Catholic Nursing Home – a non-profit skilled nursing care and rehabilitation facility with a 120-bed capacity.

The diocese has owned and operated the nursing home since 1955 when it was first located in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville. In 1992, that property was sold and a new facility was built on three acres of land purchased adjacent to Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Jacksonville’s Westside at 5888 Blanding Blvd.

It is because of this long-standing tradition of care to our senior community and their families that made the decision to sell All Saints difficult, said Bishop Felipe J. Estévez.

“I did not arrive at this decision lightly. It came only after a great deal of consultation, discussion and prayer,” he said.

 Due to the complex nature of modern health care delivery, Bishop Estévez said it became clear the diocese no longer has the expertise to operate a standalone nursing home facility – a trend that several dioceses across the country face.

Volunteer Properties purchased the property for $11 million after the diocese received approval from the Holy See on Dec. 3, 2014. The sale was made final on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. Cross Senior Care through its affiliates operates 9 senior care facilities in Florida and Georgia.

A condition of the sale includes a stewardship agreement, which means the facility will be operated in accordance with the moral, ethical and social teachings of the Catholic Church as expressed in the “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care.”

Even more important, Bishop Estévez said, the transaction also includes “covenants running with the land” which forever (if or until the adjacent property is no longer a Catholic parish) restrict the use of the property, prohibiting its use for purposes or functions that are contrary to Catholic ethical and moral teachings.

 “All Saints has a long standing tradition of providing outstanding care to the seniors of the community. This dedication fits well with our commitment to providing quality care and services to the residents entrusted to us,” said Cross. He added, “Both myself and senior management are personally involved in the day-to-day operations of all our facilities, visiting them at least once on a weekly basis.”

The name of All Saints Catholic Nursing Home will change to Cross Care Center.

The proceeds of the sale of All Saints will be used to retire debt on assets the diocese has acquired, said Father Michael Houle, episcopal vicar of development and finance for the Diocese of St. Augustine.

The diocese is committed to working closely with Cross and his organization to ensure that all the employees and residents of the nursing home experience as smooth a transition as possible.  

“All of the residents and most of the employees will remain and flourish at Cross Care Center. Due to some duplicative positions, a few employees’ positions will be eliminated,” said Cross.

“I want to thank the employees, volunteers and everyone associated with All Saints for their many years of dedication and outstanding service to the residents and their families,” said Bishop Estévez.

For more information, contact K.C. Cross at KCross@crossseniorcare.com or visit his website at www.crossseniorcare.com.