Denise McQuaide to Serve as President and COO of New Benchmark Wellness Management
February 8, 2019
WALTHAM, MA–Benchmark, a human connection company and leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast, has appointed Denise McQuaide to serve as president and chief operating officer of its newly formed Benchmark Wellness Management division. With over 30 years of executive health care experience, she joins Benchmark from Mount Auburn Hospital, where she was vice president of post-acute care.
McQuaide will be responsible for building out the new urban communities division with its specific focus on health and wellness. “Denise has been a friend of Benchmark for many years and has proven to be a talented leader who shares our commitment to elevating human connection,” said Tom Grape, Benchmark’s founder, chairman and CEO. “Her deep expertise in post-acute and long-term care as well as senior living will enable us to expand that area of our core business while introducing our award-winning services and hospitality to new urban communities.”
McQuaide oversaw the merger of Parmenter Home Care & Hospice into Mount Auburn Hospital’s home care agency to form CareGroup Parmenter Home Care and Hospice in 2015. Prior to that she served as president of Brickstone Senior Living and COO of Hebrew Senior Life. She also served as senior vice president of operations for New England for Genesis HealthCare, where she oversaw 60 skilled nursing facilities and five assisted living communities.
“Throughout my career I’ve worked with a number of Benchmark communities and have always had great respect for Tom and for the high level of care that Benchmark provides,” said McQuaide. “I am thrilled to be leading this new venture and eager to redefine the wellness experience within an urban setting for the upcoming generation of Benchmark residents and families.”
McQuaide earned both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in nursing from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. A resident of Chelmsford, Mass., she is married and has two sons.
Benchmark offers independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s care and skilled nursing in 58 communities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The organization was selected by FORTUNE magazine for its inaugural 2018 Best Workplaces for Aging Services list, taking the number 16 spot on the list of top 40 aging services companies and ranking number three among companies with more than 40 communities.