The Armenian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA), anonprofit health care organization dedicated to serving elders locally and internationally, and the sponsor organization of the Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Centerof Jamaica Plain announced an expanded senior leadership team at the top-rated skilled nursing center with the appointment of two experienced administrators: Greg Messina, Chief Operating Officer, and Jessica Brigham, Executive Director.
Messina and Brigham each bring more than a decade of health care experience to the 83-bed, nonprofit provider of high-quality long-term care and short-term rehabilitation. Messina will guide the Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center’s strategic and planning initiatives, including the development of new services and programs, oversight of finances and collaboration with key health care partners. Brigham will lead the day-to-day operations, including the clinical care of patients and residents, management of staff, and communication with families.
“With these important leadership appointments and our continued commitment to strengthen our programs, we are well positioned to grow our mission of providing high-quality, person-centered care to the communities we serve,” said Martha Mensoian, President of the AWWA Board of Directors. “Greg and Jessica bring new ideas and a record of success in running a long-term care center, which will serve us well in these quickly evolving times.”
Messina previously served as a regional administrator for Whittier Health Network, a group of acute rehabilitation hospitals and subacute rehabilitation and nursing homes in Massachusetts. Prior to becoming a licensed nursing home administrator, he had a career in business and marketing. Messina earned a bachelor’s degree in history and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
“I am thrilled to join a nonprofit organization with such a rich history in serving its beneficiaries both locally and internationally, and a strong tradition of collaboration in health care with Boston’s world-renowned medical centers,” Messina said. “I look forward to bringing my experience in managing multiple skilled nursing facilities and helping our team build toward the future.”
Brigham has served as the licensed nursing home administrator for several nursing homes in Greater Boston, most recently as executive director of Brighton House Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. Prior to these leadership roles, she worked for many years as a nurse and nursing director in health care and in long-term care centers. Brigham earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Simmons University in Boston and is a registered nurse.
“I am excited to return to a nonprofit health care setting and to guide the high quality care and services that the Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center is well known for providing,” said Brigham. “As a nurse who has worked in many roles and settings during my career, I look forward to bringing my skills and experience in support of clinical programs during these highly complex times.”
The senior leadership appointments at the Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center followed the recent retirement of Scott Ariel, the AWWA’s Chief Executive Officer, from a decades-long career in health care administration, who was also serving as the interim administrator of the Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. The AWWA Board of Directors credited Ariel for his steady management, particularly navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and for his overall dedication and service to the mission of the AWWA and the Center.
The Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center is an 83-bed, nonprofit skilled nursing center located at 431 Pond St., next to Larz Anderson Park, in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. The Center offers long-term care with a person-centered approach in a highly skilled clinical setting, as well as comprehensive post-acute care and rehabilitation services including physical, occupational and speech therapy. The Center’s dedication to excellence has earned it an overall rating of high performing in “Best Nursing Homes” by U.S. News & World Report.
The Armenian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA) is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to serving elders locally and internationally through the sponsorship of elder service programs. Founded in 1915 and drawing on the rich history of the Armenian community, the AWWA operates the Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Boston and supports an elder clinic and outreach program that provides medical care, food, fuel assistance and social support as well as visiting nurse services for the homebound to hundreds of elderly people who are alone in the Republic of Artsakh.