West Ashley care facilities sold

A Tennessee company has paid $13.25 million to purchase a skilled nursing home and an assisted-living facility in Charleston as part of its effort to expand into the Lowcountry.

National HealthCare Corp. has renamed the 132-bed Trinity Mission Health and Rehabilitation and the 60-bed Trinity Mission Assisted Living to NHC HealthCare-Charleston and NHC Place-Charleston, respectively.

The facilities are at 1900 and 2230 Ashley Crossing Drive in West Ashley. Angela Atkinson, who had been with Trinity Mission, joined NHC as its Charleston administrator.

The seller of Trinity Mission was Cordova, Tenn.-based Mid-South Health Care Associates, which bought the two care centers for $3.5 million in 2002 after the previous owner went bankrupt. At the time, the facilities had been operated as Ashley Crossing and Ashley Terrace.

The acquisition increases NHC's Palmetto State footprint to more than 2,000 beds in 13 locations.

"While we have been a strong provider in the Upstate and Midland region for over 30 years, this additional location allows us to better serve the Lowcountry area as well," said Steve Flatt, senior vice president of development.

Murfreesboro, Tenn.-based NHC said it expects to start construction next month on a 120-bed skilled health care and rehabilitation center near Hilton Head Island.

The company's other South Carolina locations are in Aiken, Anderson, Clinton, Columbia, Conway, Greenville, Greenwood, Greer, Laurens, Murrells Inlet, North August, Sumter and West Columbia.