John Orestis
President
John Orestis, President and co-owner of North Country Associates since its inception in 1982, is an attorney and former Mayor of Lewiston, who has served as a legislative representative in the state of Maine. John is a past President of the Maine Health Care Association. Mr. Orestis was responsible for developing a company consisting of 14 nursing facilities in Maine and Massachusetts. Through his leadership, North Country Associates has grown substantially and emerged as a leading provider of healthcare services and is regarded for high quality care and excellent customer service.
Mary Jane Richards
Chief Executive Officer
As the Chief Operating Officer, Mary Jane oversees facility operations, fiscal, clinical and human resource management. She began her career in long term care in 1991 with North Country Associates, first as an Activity Director and eventually earning her Multi-Level Administrator’s license and operating several of North Country Associates facilities. With her years of management experience she brings a collaborative style to the Senior Management Team. Mary Jane earned her Bachelors Degree from the University of Maine. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Maine Health Care Association and has been an active member on the Nursing Home Administrator’s Licensing Board for several years, serving as both Chair and Complaint Officer.
Douglas S. Gardner
Senior Vice President of Development & Operations
Doug’s first experience in long term care came in 1992 when he worked as the QMRP at Northland Living Center. After completing an Administrator-in-Training Program with North Country Associates, he worked at several NCA facilities until his departure from the company in 1996. After working three years as the Administrator of a large multi-level facility in Lewiston, he became the Administrator at the Barron Center, a 235-bed LTC facility owned and operated by the City of Portland and part of the Portland’s Health & Human Services Department. In 2005, Doug was promoted to the position of Director for Portland’s Health & Human Services Department; a position he would hold for nine years until rejoining NCA in the middle of 2014. Doug earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education for the University of Maine, Farmington and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Muskie School of Public Service at USM.
Sandy Verge
Senior Vice President of Human Resources
& Customer Relations
Sandy Verge, Senior Vice President of Human Resources & Customer Relations, serves in a central role providing Human Resources consultation services to all North Country Associates’ facilities. She received her degree from the University of Maine and has an extensive background in managing Human Resource policies and programs in the healthcare setting. Having worked in the long term care setting for more than three decades, Sandy coordinates and oversees all aspects of Human Resources, insuring compliance with federal and state regulations as they pertain to employment. As a member of the Senior Management Team, Sandy serves as a valuable resource to facility staff. The outcome is the successful merging of operational goals and human resources demands – resulting in quality healthcare delivery.
Glen G. Cyr
Senior Vice President of Finance
Glen began in the health care field in 1988 after being in public accounting for approximately 2 years and graduating from the University of Maine at Orono with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. After working approximately 10 years for a small regional provider, in 1998 Glen joined North Country Associates, Inc., as the Senior Vice President of Finance. As the Senior Vice President of Finance, Glen oversees the financial and reimbursement operations of the company, serving a vital function in supporting the stability and expansion of the organization.
Kim Dufour
Vice President of Clinical Services
Kim Dufour, Vice President of Clinical Services & Quality Improvement, has worked in healthcare for nearly 30 years. Her experience began as a Certified Nursing Assistant while in high school, then as a Licensed Practical Nurse, and becoming a Registered Nurse in 1999. Kim’s nursing career has always been in the Long Term Care setting, with the first 10 years in the ICF/IDD setting. She has worked with North Country Associates since 2005, working in various capacities to include: MDS Coordinator, Nurse Manager, and Director of Nursing Services. In her present position, Kim works collaboratively with all NCA facilities to ensure delivery of high quality clinical care with a focus on Quality Improvement. Kim has also become NCA’s content expert related to our COVID-19 response.
Eric Pooler
Financial Analyst
Eric Pooler, MLA, currently serves as an Operations Analyst for North Country Associates. Eric has over 28 years of experience working in nursing, assisted living, gero-psych and ICF/IID facilities. Eric earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education and his Master’s Degree in Special Education at the University of Maine. Having been a licensed multi-level facility administrator for over 25 years, he has expertise in operations management, risk management, facility reimbursement, business development, regulatory compliance, behavior management, staff development and education. In addition, he has served as a preceptor for many administrators over the last 20 years and authored the Nursing Home Administrator’s Board approved, “Nursing Home Administrator’s Preceptor Training Program”.
Deborah Abbotts
Director of Clinical Admissions
As the Director of Clinical Admissions, Deborah works with her team of clinical liaisons managing the hospital and community referrals for our North Country Facilities. Deborah also collaborates with our Hospital and Community partners for opportunities to build census and streamline the referral process.
Deborah has over 35 years of experience working in health care including long term care and the acute hospital setting. Deborah Attended Molloy College of Nursing in Rockville Centre New York and also has a degree in Clinical Nutrition. Prior to her career in Long term Care Deborah was the Assistant Director of York County Community Action Woman Infants and Children program for 15 years. While at York County Community Action Deborah co-wrote and managed several grants on accessing health care.