A new name to try to turn the page on scandals. The private nursing home group Orpea has adopted a new name, Emeis, to “mark a new stage in its refoundation”, two years after the scandal of the practices of its former management, its general director Laurent Guillot announced on Wednesday.
“The Orpea brand was very damaged, it had become synonymous with scandals, it was important to change its name,” declared to AFP the director of the giant of retirement homes, private clinics and home help services which employs 76,000 people worldwide, including 28,000 in France.
The giant of private nursing homes was shaken by the publication in January 2022 of the investigative book by journalist Victor Castanet, which denounced mistreatment of residents, misuse of public funds and failings in the management of its staff. Since then, the group and former leaders have been the subject of legal proceedings. Heavily in debt, the group was saved from bankruptcy by Caisse des Dépôts, the armed arm of the State, which, with a consortium, took control of it in December 2023. “Emeis – which means “we” in Greek old – well represents the refoundation project that we launched in November 2022: a collective project with our 76,000 employees, with our patients, our residents and all those involved in care,” he added. “We are facing a major challenge in terms of mental, physical and elderly health, and this collective “we” includes employees, patients, residents, their families and the healthcare system, because it is collectively that we can face this challenge of civilization,” said Laurent Guillot. Emeis, which the group writes entirely in lowercase, also has a new logo, hands symbolizing the care professions.