NEW BERLIN – Following 40 years of service to the Chase Memorial nursing home in New Berlin, longtime administrator and CEO Roger Halbert announced his plans to retire, leaving behind the senior care facility he’s served since 1972.

Halbert, who began his tenure at Chase while working toward a certificate in health care administration through the SUNY college at Delhi, notified the Chase board of his intentions last November. His successor, Jeffrey Emhof, of Edmeston, will take up the duties of campus Administrator beginning Aug. 6, working closely with Halbert before his departure on Aug. 31.

In his time as head of the Chase organization – a position he’s held since 1983 – Halbert inspired changes that emphasize life among Chase residents, even in their later years. For the past four decades, Halbert strived to maintain community ties between the agency and the community – ties that were present long before he took the helm, he said.

“I think it speaks well that we have that rapport with the community. When you hear Chase, you think of quality and I think that’s important,” said Halbert. “The thing I’m most proud of is the fact that when I came on board in ‘72, Chase had a strong connection to the community and an outstanding relationship with the community, and in that was a very strong image of Chase and a quality that still exists today. I think that’s so important for any kind of business like skilled nursing facilities.”

During his leadership, Halbert added child day care at the facility in 1990. The service continued until 2008 before low enrollment and fiscal restraints forced the program to end. However, the on-site child care program led Halbert and former medical director Dr. William Thomas to pursue other initiatives that emphasize life in the nursing home; among them was the “Eden Alternative” which was incorporated in 1992 and became a model for senior care facilities nationwide.