Survey Finds 70% of Gen Z US Healthcare Workers Plan to Job Hunt Within a Year

Ekchai Medical Public Company Limited, or EKH, reported that the overall hospital business in the third quarter of 2026 fell in a seasonally high period for patient volumes, and volatile weather also pushed up the number of patients. Its hospital in Samut Sakhon province was not affected by flooding, and bed occupancy currently stands at more than 50-70%, holding steady at a high level. Dr. Amnat Uea-areemitr, a director and the hospital's director, said EKH has a subsidiary called Ekchai Nursing Home Company Limited which, despite using the term nursing home in its registered name, operates as a hospital providing palliative and end-of-life care, along with a specialized hospital for the elderly called Qun, upgraded into a full-fledged hospital with proper licenses rather than a general elderly care facility. On the comprehensive specialized psychiatric hospital business under the name Bloom Hospital, it has a team of about 30 to 40 specialist psychiatrists and 50 single rooms. Since it began services on September 9, 2026, in less than one month, six to seven patients have been admitted as inpatients. As for the outlook for operating results in the second half of 2026, there is a chance of significantly better growth than in the first half, and for the full year 2026 the company is maintaining its target of double-digit revenue growth, or about 10%, compared with 1.28221 billion baht last year.

Brookdale Senior Living Inc. reported its occupancy for September 2026, with third quarter weighted average consolidated occupancy growing 130 basis points year-over-year to 83.1%. Sequential consolidated and same community weighted average occupancy both grew 70 basis points, outperforming the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care stabilized senior housing market occupancy results for the same sequential period. The company operates 529 communities across 41 states with the ability to serve approximately 45,000 residents as of September 30, 2026. Brookdale's stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BKD.

Technomedical Public Company Limited, or TM, is targeting revenue from its elderly care centre business, the The Parents project, of approximately 35-50 million baht in 2026, growing from around 22-23 million baht last year, and expects to turn profitable within the fourth quarter of this year. Dr. Suntaree Jaroongboot, Chief Executive Officer, told Than Hoon that news about service standards at some elderly care centres has not affected the company's business, but has instead been a positive factor prompting families to pay more attention to choosing quality, standards-compliant services. Currently the company's elderly care centre has capacity for about 65 beds, with an average of about 45-50 beds occupied, or an occupancy rate of roughly 70-85%. Service fees start at about 45,000 baht per month and go up to about 120,000 baht per month. This business is now in its fourth year, and revenue from operations can already cover management expenses as well as loan repayments to financial institutions. Meanwhile, the outlook for the third quarter continues to improve, with gross margin rising significantly, helped by a stable US dollar, price increases in line with costs, and a shift in strategy for sourcing and OEM production, with most orders now placed in China, which has effectively reduced production costs.

The Ensign Group expanded its skilled nursing footprint through a coordinated set of acquisitions across Florida, Washington and Colorado. In Florida, it entered the state by adding eight operations with 713 skilled nursing beds and 66 independent living units, while separately buying the real estate and operations of a 118-bed Pensacola facility; it also added four Washington facilities totaling 532 skilled nursing beds and seven Colorado facilities with 760 skilled nursing beds and 47 independent living units. Most acquired operations will run under long-term triple-net leases, while Ensign's Standard Bearer REIT owns the Pensacola property and five additional real estate assets. After these transactions, Ensign said its portfolio reached 418 healthcare operations, including 50 senior living operations, across 18 states, and its subsidiaries including Standard Bearer now hold 189 real estate assets nationwide. As of June 30, 2026, Ensign held $262.3 million in cash and cash equivalents, with long-term debt excluding current maturities at $135.6 million and $591.6 million of available capacity under its line of credit, while net cash provided by operating activities reached $272.1 million in the first half of 2026, up from $228 million a year earlier.