Amid a long recession, Hebrew SeniorLife plans to hire 250 people for its NewBridge on the Charles campus over the next month, kicking things off with a job fair in Dedham on Thursday.
At the fair, being held from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Church of St. John of Damascus at 300 West St., certified nursing assistants and registered nurses can meet with human resources staffers. If an applicant looks like a possible match, he or she will be set up on the spot for a follow-up interview with a hiring manager, said Alessandra de Vaca, the chief administrative officer for Hebrew SeniorLife.
The goal, she said, is "to try and match the right skills with the right job that might be available."
Two more job fairs will follow in the coming weeks: one on Sept. 22 that will be geared to culinary and housekeeping staff, and one on Oct. 1 for certified nursing assistants. Both fairs will also be held at St. John's, although times have not been finalized.
At latest count, Hebrew SeniorLife plans to fill 623 jobs at NewBridge on the Charles, the $485 million continuing care retirement community that it is rolling out in phases this year. NewBridge has a community center with various amenities including multiple dining rooms, a movie theater and swimming pool; 100 acres of open space with 1.7 miles of walking trails; and environmental components such as 400 geothermal wells.
NewBridge's independent living and assisted living homes have already opened.
Next, in November, is the introduction of the facility's 266-bed health care center. De Vaca said the vast majority of the 250 jobs that will be filled by mid-October are in preparation for the health care center's opening.
While Hebrew SeniorLife has known for a long time that it would be making a hiring push to accompany NewBridge's debut, de Vaca said of the recession, "Even if it was a great economy, we would be offering something that's pretty unique in this setting."
The model of senior care and the way that care will be delivered at NewBridge differs from more traditional settings, she emphasized.
"It's not only a job, but it's what I would call a job in a cutting-edge environment," she said.
NewBridge's assisted living homes, for example, include 40 specialized units that provide memory support for seniors living with dementia through dance and music therapy, a heavy emphasis on art, and a series of brain exercises that focus on attention, memory, language, and reasoning.
