Armenian Women’s Welfare Association expands leadership team at Jamaica Plain nursing center

Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

JAMAICA PLAIN, Mass. – The Armenian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA), a nonprofit health care organization dedicated to serving elders locally and internationally, and the sponsor organization of the Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, has announced an expanded senior leadership team at the top-rated skilled nursing center with the appointment of two experienced administrators: Jessica Brigham and Greg Messina.

Brigham and Messina 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, who has been named chief operating officer, 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, the new executive director, 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. She also worked for many years as a nurse and nursing director in health care and in long-term care centers. Brigham, a registered nurse, earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Simmons University.

“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 healthcare 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.