Brookdale Senior Living Inc. 10-K

Item 1. Business Unless otherwise specified, references to "Brookdale," "we," "us," "our," or "the Company" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K mean Brookdale Senior Living Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries. Our Business We are the nation's premier operator of senior living communities, operating and managing 673 communities in 41 states as of December 31, 2022, with the ability to serve more than 60,000 residents. We offer our residents access to a broad continuum of services across the most attractive sectors of the senior living industry. We operate and manage independent living, assisted living, memory care, and continuing care retirement communities ("CCRCs"). Our senior living communities and our comprehensive network help to provide seniors with care and services in an environment that feels like home. Our expertise in healthcare, hospitality, and real estate provides residents with opportunities to improve wellness, pursue passions, and stay connected with friends and loved ones. By providing residents with a range of service options as their needs change, we provide greater continuity of care, enabling seniors to age-in-place, which we believe enables them to maintain residency with us for a longer period of time. The ability of residents to age-in-place is also beneficial to our residents' families who are concerned with care decisions for their elderly relatives. Strategy Our goal is to be the first choice in senior living by being the nation's most trusted and effective senior living provider. Brookdale continues to be driven by its mission—to enrich the lives of those we serve with compassion, respect, excellence, and integrity. During this pandemic recovery phase, we have continued to focus on the health and wellbeing of our residents and associates and "Winning the Recovery" by providing valued high quality care and personalized service. We believe successful execution on this strategy provides the best opportunity to create attractive long-term stockholder value. We are focused on priorities that will position us for growth and capitalize on positive trends in demographics, customer preferences, and lower new supply in the industry, while using scale to our advantage. Our key strategic priorities are as follows: • Get every available room in service at the best profitable rate. We believe that we provide highly valuable services to seniors, and we continue to strive to expand the number of seniors we serve through targeted efforts to increase our occupancy levels and improve controllable expense management, while remaining focused on driving rate and improving margin. With this strategic priority, we intend to ensure all communities are appropriately priced within their market. Through our targeted sales and marketing efforts, we plan to drive increased move-ins through enhanced outreach with impactful points of differentiation based on quality, a portfolio of choices, and personalized service delivered by caring and engaged associates. • Attract, engage, develop, and retain the best associates. Brookdale’s culture is based on servant leadership. We believe engaged associates lead to an enhanced resident experience, higher retention, and ultimately improved operations that drive accelerated growth. Through this strategic priority, we intend to expand successful pilot programs to further support and extend length of employment with Brookdale. We expect to diversify and optimize our recruiting plans, improve training, educational, and career development opportunities for associates and enhance our already compelling value proposition for our associates in the areas of compensation, leadership, career growth, and meaningful work. • Earn resident and family trust and satisfaction by providing valued high quality care and personalized service. We believe that earning the trust of our residents and their families will allow us to build relationships that create passionate advocates and generate referrals. We intend to create a consistent high quality experience for residents, including through the implementation and execution of our high quality clinical, operational, and resident engagement programs. We are a learning organization that uses multiple tools to obtain feedback from residents, their families, and our associates to improve our services to meet the changing needs of residents. We expect to strengthen associate engagement for an enhanced resident experience. The above three priorities coupled with improving supply-demand fundamentals are intended to provide long-term returns to our stockholders by focusing on growing RevPAR, Adjusted EBITDA, and cash flow. As we execute our "Winning the Recovery" strategy, we expect RevPAR will be driven by both occupancy and RevPOR growth, propelled by (i) our strategic priorities, (ii) accelerating growth within our target demographic, and (iii) significantly lower supply growth. Our goal is to reach or exceed our historical occupancy high over the long term. As occupancy grows, we anticipate benefiting from operating 6 leverage, resulting in improving margins. With the combination of RevPAR growth and operating leverage, we expect to drive Adjusted EBITDA and cash flow growth. Strategic innovation also continues to be an important factor for our long-term growth. We are piloting programs in several areas and plan to roll out initiatives to accelerate our growth further. We plan to explore additional products and services that we may offer to our residents or to seniors living outside of our communities and, in the longer term where opportunities arise, pursue development, investment, and acquisition opportunities. • Enhance healthcare and wellness. Our vision is to enable those we serve to live well by offering our residents a high-quality healthcare and wellness platform. We believe Brookdale is uniquely positioned to be a key participant and partner in the value-based healthcare ecosystem. Our initiatives include piloting redesigned delivery of clinical care within assisted living communities and embedding technology-enabled care management capabilities, in order to better align our communities with payors, providers, and healthcare systems by demonstrating improved outcomes for residents. We are also piloting the expansion of our private duty services business to serve those living outside of our communities. We believe the successful execution of these initiatives will improve resident health and wellbeing and drive incremental revenue and value creation (including through increasing move-ins and extending residents' average length of stay resulting in increased occupancy). • Drive innovation and leverage technology. We are engaged in a variety of innovation initiatives and over time plan to pilot and test new ideas, technologies, and operating models in order to enhance our residents' engagement and experience, improve outcomes, and increase average length of stay and occupancy. With our technology platform, we also expect to identify solutions to reduce complexity, increase productivity, lower costs, and increase our ability to collaborate with third parties. • Improve and grow our senior living portfolio. As we look to return to pre-pandemic results, we intend to (i) exit non-strategic or underperforming owned assets or leases when possible, (ii) expand our footprint and services in core markets where we have, or can achieve, a clear leadership position, and (iii) explore further growth opportunities. Over the longer term, we will also continue to invest in our development capital expenditures program through which we expand, reposition, and redevelop selected existing senior living communities where economically advantageous. We believe that our successful execution on these strategic priorities and our longer-term growth plans will allow us to achieve our goal to improve profitability and be the first choice in senior living by being the nation’s most trusted and effective senior living provider. Recent Developments COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic continued to significantly affect our operations during 2022. The health and wellbeing of our residents and associates has been and continues to be our highest priority. Occupancy and Revenue Recovery We believe that recovering our occupancy lost due to the pandemic while maintaining rate discipline is critical to turning around our operational losses. During 2020 and, to a lesser degree, 2021, we had in place restrictive measures at many of our communities, including restrictions on visitors and move-ins. From March 2020 through February 2021 we lost 1,330 basis points of weighted average consolidated senior housing occupancy due to the pandemic, resulting in our lowest weighted average occupancy of 69.4% during February 2021. In the aggregate, for the three years ended December 31, 2022, we estimate the pandemic resulted in $1.0 billion of lost resident fee revenue in our consolidated senior housing portfolio and former Health Care Services segment compared to our pre-pandemic expectations, including an estimated $0.4 billion of lost resident fee revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022. Throughout 2022, we continued to execute on key initiatives to rebuild our occupancy. By December 31, 2022, we had recovered 760 basis points of weighted average consolidated senior housing occupancy, ending with December 2022 occupancy of 77.0%. We also increased our consolidated senior housing RevPOR by 4.5% during 2022 compared to the prior year. During 2023, we intend to continue to focus on rebuilding our occupancy back to, or above, pre-pandemic levels. We cannot predict 7 with reasonable certainty when our occupancy will return to pre-pandemic levels. The table below sets forth our recent consolidated occupancy trend. Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Weighted average 83.2 % 78.7 % 75.3 % 72.7 % 69.6 % 70.5 % 72.5 % 73.5 % 73.4 % 74.6 % 76.4 % 77.1 % Quarter end 82.2 % 77.8 % 75.0 % 71.5 % 70.6 % 72.6 % 74.2 % 74.5 % 75.0 % 76.6 % 78.4 % 78.1 % Jan 2022 Feb 2022 Mar 2022 Apr 2022 May 2022 Jun 2022 Jul 2022 Aug 2022 Sep 2022 Oct 2022 Nov 2022 Dec 2022 Jan 2023 Weighted average 73.4 % 73.3 % 73.6 % 73.9 % 74.6 % 75.2 % 75.9 % 76.4 % 76.9 % 77.2 % 77.0 % 77.0 % 76.6 % Month end 74.2 % 74.4 % 75.0 % 75.3 % 76.2 % 76.6 % 77.1 % 77.9 % 78.4 % 78.2 % 78.1 % 78.1 % 77.6 % Reductions to Pandemic-Related Costs With significantly lower case volumes in 2022, our incremental direct costs to respond to the pandemic were $17.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, representing a 63.5% decrease compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. On a cumulative basis, for the three years ended December 31, 2022, we have incurred $190.6 million of facility operating expense for such incremental direct costs to respond to the pandemic. The direct costs include those for: acquisition of additional personal protective equipment, medical equipment, and cleaning and disposable food service supplies; enhanced cleaning and environmental sanitation; increased employee-related costs, including labor, workers' compensation, and health plan expense; and COVID-19 testing of residents and associates where not otherwise covered by government payor or third-party insurance sources. Government Provided Financial Relief In the aggregate, government provided financial relief has offset our incremental direct costs to respond to the pandemic and a minor portion of our estimated lost revenue. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized $80.5 million of other operating income for government provided grants and employee retention credits, including $61.1 million of grants from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund ("Provider Relief Fund"). For the three years ended December 31, 2022, we recognized an aggregate of $208.6 million of other operating income for government provided grants and employee retention credits, including pursuant to the Provider Relief Fund. We were eligible to claim employee retention credits for certain of our associates under COVID-related legislation. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we recognized $9.4 million and $9.9 million of such employee retention credits within other operating income, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, we had a receivable of approximately $14.7 million for such credits. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we repaid the final amounts of the employer portion of social security payroll taxes deferred pursuant to pandemic-related legislation, and all remaining amounts of our advanced payments under the Accelerated and Advance Payment Program administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") were recouped. We cannot predict with reasonable certainty the impacts that COVID-19 ultimately will have on our business, results of operations, cash flow, and liquidity, and our response efforts may delay or negatively impact our strategic initiatives, including plans for future growth. The ultimate impacts of COVID-19 will depend on many factors, some of which cannot be foreseen, including the duration, severity, and breadth of the pandemic and any resurgence or variants of the disease; the impact of COVID-19 on the nation's economy and debt and equity markets and the local economies in our markets; the development, availability, utilization, and efficacy of COVID-19 testing, therapeutic agents, and vaccines and the prioritization of such resources among businesses and demographic groups; government financial and regulatory relief efforts that may become available to business and individuals, including our ability to qualify for and satisfy the terms and conditions of financial relief; restrictions on visitors and move-ins at our communities as a result of infections at a community or as necessary to comply with regulatory requirements or at the direction of authorities having jurisdiction; perceptions regarding the safety of senior living communities during and after the pandemic; changes in demand for senior living communities and our ability to adapt our sales and marketing efforts to meet that demand; the impact of COVID-19 on our residents' and their families' ability to afford our resident fees, including due to changes in unemployment rates, consumer confidence, housing markets, and equity markets caused by COVID-19; changes in the acuity levels of our new residents; the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on seniors generally and those residing in our communities; the duration and costs of our response efforts, including increased equipment, supplies, labor, litigation, testing, vaccination clinic, health plan, and other expenses; greater use of contract labor and other premium labor due to COVID-19 and general labor market conditions; the impact of COVID-19 on our ability to complete financings and refinancings of various assets or other transactions or to generate sufficient cash flow to cover required debt, interest, and lease payments and to satisfy financial and other covenants in our debt and lease documents; increased regulatory 8 requirements, including the costs of unfunded, mandatory testing of residents and associates and provision of test kits to our health plan participants; increased enforcement actions resulting from COVID-19; government action that may limit our collection or discharge efforts for delinquent accounts; and the frequency and magnitude of legal actions and liability claims that may arise due to COVID-19 or our response efforts. Macroeconomic Conditions A confluence of macroeconomic conditions, including an intensely competitive labor environment and higher inflation and interest rates, affected our operations during 2022 and continue to do so. Labor Pressures Labor costs comprise approximately two-thirds of our total facility operating expense. We began to experience pressures associated with the intensely competitive labor environment during 2021, which continued throughout 2022. The United States’ unemployment rate remained at or below 4.0% each month during 2022, and more than half of states experienced record low unemployment rates. Labor pressures have resulted in higher-than-typical associate turnover and wage growth, and we have experienced difficulty in filling open positions timely. We have increased our recruiting efforts to fill existing open positions, resulting in increasing the size of our workforce by approximately 4,800 community associates during 2022. We continue to review wage rates in our markets and make competitive adjustments. To cover existing open positions, during 2021 and continuing into 2022, we needed to rely on more expensive premium labor, primarily contract labor and overtime. From its peak in December 2021 to December 2022, we have decreased our monthly contract labor expense by approximately 80%, while maintaining focus on resident satisfaction and high-quality care. We continue to work to reduce our reliance on premium labor. The labor component of our facility operating expense increased $122.1 million, or 9.6%, during 2022 compared to the prior year. In our same community portfolio, such expense increased 11.0% during 2022 compared to the prior year. These increases primarily resulted from merit and market wage rate adjustments, more hours worked with higher occupancy during the period, and an increase in the use of premium labor, primarily overtime. For 2023, we expect to continue to experience labor cost pressure as a result of the continuing labor conditions previously described and an anticipated increase in hours worked as our occupancy levels grow. Continued increased competition for, or a shortage of, nurses or other associates and general inflationary pressures have required and may require that we enhance our pay and benefits package to compete effectively for such associates. Inflation Our non-labor facility operating expense comprises approximately one-third of our total facility operating expense and is subject to inflationary pressures. The United States consumer price index increased 6.5% during 2022, with food and energy prices increasing above 10%. We mitigated a portion of the increase in food costs with the scale benefit of a higher number of residents, along with appropriate product substitution. We mitigated a portion of the rising utility costs through sustainability investments we made in 2022 and recent years, such as lighting retrofits and water consumption projects. Despite our mitigation efforts and with higher occupancy, for 2022 our non-labor facility operating expense increased $57.1 million, or 8.9%, compared to the prior year. In our same community portfolio, such expense increased 9.2% during 2022 compared to the prior year. For 2023, we expect to continue to experience inflationary pressures. Interest Rates As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately $1.6 billion of long-term variable rate debt outstanding which is indexed to the London Interbank Offer Rate ("LIBOR") or Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"), plus a weighted average margin of approximately 230 basis points. Accordingly, our annual interest expense related to long-term variable rate debt is directly affected by movements in LIBOR or SOFR. The LIBOR and SOFR steadily increased throughout 2022, ending the year more than 400 basis points higher than year-end 2021. Approximately 92% of our long-term variable rate debt is subject to interest rate cap or swap agreements, which had a weighted average fixed interest rate of 4.14% and a weighted average remaining term of 1.2 years as of December 31, 2022. Many of our long-term variable rate debt instruments include provisions that obligate us to obtain additional interest rate cap agreements upon the maturity of the existing interest rate cap agreements. The costs of obtaining additional interest rate cap agreements may offset the benefits of our existing interest rate cap agreements. For the year ended December 31, 2022, our debt interest expense increased $16.5 million, or 11.6%, compared to the prior year, substantially all due to an increase in our interest expense associated with our long-term variable rate debt. Interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities partially offset such increased interest expense. 9 Resident Fee Increases The rates we charge our residents are highly dependent on local market conditions and the competitive environment in which the communities operate. As the senior living industry rebuilds occupancy lost due to the pandemic, we continue to experience a highly competitive environment for new residents. Generally, we have increased our monthly rates, including rates for care and other services, for private pay residents on an annual basis beginning January 1 each year. We made the annual rate adjustment effective January 1, 2022 for our in-place private pay residents, which was higher than our typical annual rate adjustment and resulted in a 4.5% net increase in same community RevPOR for 2022 compared to 2021. We have recently made the annual rate adjustment effective January 1, 2023 for our in-place private pay residents. The increase was again higher than our typical annual rate adjustment in order to help offset our recent increased costs as a result of labor pressures, high inflation, and increased interest rates previously described. As a result of rate and occupancy increases, consolidated RevPAR for January 2023 increased approximately 13% compared to January 2022. Due to the competitive environment for new residents in our recovering industry, the higher rate adjustment could slow our occupancy recovery progress or result in a decrease in occupancy in our communities. Any use of promotional or other discounting would offset a portion of such rate adjustments in our RevPAR and RevPOR results. In addition, the rate adjustment may not be sufficient to offset our increased costs. The Senior Living Industry The senior living industry has undergone dramatic growth in the past several decades, marked by the emergence of assisted living communities in the mid-1990s, and it remains highly fragmented with numerous local and regional operators. According to data from the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry ("NIC"), there were approximately 2,500 local and regional senior housing operators as of December 31, 2022, of which approximately 90% operated five or fewer communities. We are one of a limited number of large operators that provide a broad range of community locations and service level offerings at varying price levels. The industry has attracted additional investment in the last decade resulting in increased construction and development of new senior housing supply. New community openings have subjected the senior housing industry to oversupply and increased competitive pressures. Data from NIC shows that industry occupancy began to decrease starting in 2016 as a result of new openings and oversupply. We have experienced an elevated rate of competitive new openings, with significant new competition opening in many markets, which has adversely affected our occupancy, revenues, results of operations, and cash flow. Competitive new openings continue to affect certain locations, but have declined significantly from the peak in 2017 and more recently have been impacted by the pandemic and the macroeconomic factors discussed above. Beginning in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in additional occupancy pressure for our industry. NIC data shows that senior housing occupancy decreased for four consecutive quarters between March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021, with nearly all markets falling to record low occupancy by the first quarter of 2021. We cannot predict with reasonable certainty when the senior housing industry occupancy rate will return to pre-pandemic levels or the extent to which the pandemic’s effect on demand may adversely affect the amount of resident fees we are able to collect from our residents. The primary market of the senior living industry is individuals age 80 and older. Due to demographic trends, and continuing advances in science, nutrition, and healthcare, the senior population will continue to grow. U.S. Census projections suggest that there will be over one million new potential residents per year for the rest of the decade, and we believe that demand for senior care will increase as a result. As seniors are living longer and this segment of the population rapidly grows, so will the number living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias and the burden of chronic diseases and conditions. As a result of increased mobility in society, a reduction of average family size, and increased number of two-wage earner couples, families struggle to provide care for seniors and therefore look for alternatives outside of their family for care. There is a growing consumer awareness among seniors and their families concerning the types of services provided by senior living operators, which has further contributed to the demand for senior living services. We continue to address new competition by focusing on operations with the objective to ensure high customer satisfaction, retain key leadership, and actively engage regional management in community operations; enhancing our local and national marketing and public relations efforts; and evaluating current community position relative to competition and repositioning if necessary (e.g., services, amenities, programming, and price). Like other companies, our financial results may be negatively 10 impacted by increasing salaries, wages, and benefits costs for our associates, particularly if such costs cannot be covered by implementing price increases. Higher costs of food, utilities, equipment and supplies, insurance, real estate taxes, and interest rates may also have a negative impact on our financial results. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges to our industry, as outlined above. Additional challenges in our industry include increased state and local regulation of the assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing sectors, which has led to an increase in the cost of doing business. The regulatory environment continues to intensify in the number and types of laws and regulations affecting us, accompanied by increased enforcement activity by state and local officials. In addition, there continue to be various federal and state legislative and regulatory proposals to implement cost containment measures that would limit payments to healthcare providers in the future. Competition The senior living industry is highly competitive. We compete with numerous organizations, including not-for-profit entities, that offer similar communities and services, community-based service programs, retirement communities, convalescent centers, and other senior living providers. In general, regulatory and other barriers to competitive entry in the independent living, assisted living, and memory care sectors of the senior living industry are not substantial. Consequently, we may encounter competition that could limit our ability to attract and retain residents and associates, raise or maintain resident fees, and expand our business, which could have a material adverse effect on our occupancy, revenues, results of operations, and cash flows. Due to the industry's lower than pre-pandemic occupancy levels, certain competitors may price aggressively in order to capture market share. Our major senior housing competitors include Atria Senior Living Inc., Life Care Services, LLC, Sunrise Senior Living, LLC, Erickson Senior Living, AlerisLife Inc., and multiple regional providers with large localized market presence, as well as a large number of not-for-profit entities. Over the long term we plan to evaluate and, where opportunities arise, pursue development, investment, and acquisition opportunities. The market for acquiring and/or operating senior living communities is highly competitive, and some of our present and potential senior living competitors have, or may obtain, greater financial resources than us and may have a lower cost of capital. In addition, several publicly-traded and non-traded real estate investment trusts ("REITs") and private equity firms have similar objectives as we do, along with greater financial resources and/or lower costs of capital than we are able to obtain. Partially as a result of tax law changes enacted through REIT Investment Diversification and Empowerment Act ("RIDEA"), we now compete more directly with the various publicly-traded healthcare REITs for the acquisition of senior housing properties, the largest of which are Ventas, Inc. ("Ventas") and Welltower Inc. Additionally, such REITs may have the ability to directly compete in the management of certain independent living facilities as a result of recent IRS rulings. Our History Brookdale Senior Living Inc. was formed as a Delaware corporation in June 2005 for the purpose of combining two leading senior living operating companies, Brookdale Living Communities, Inc. and Alterra Healthcare Corporation, which had been operating independently since 1986 and 1981, respectively. On November 22, 2005, we completed our initial public offering of common stock, and on July 25, 2006, we acquired American Retirement Corporation, another leading senior living provider that had been operating independently since 1978. On September 1, 2011, we completed the acquisition of Horizon Bay, which was the then-ninth largest operator of senior living communities in the United States. On July 31, 2014, we completed our acquisition of Emeritus Corporation through a merger, which was the then-second largest operator of senior living communities in the United States. Since our acquisition of Emeritus, we have disposed of over 350 communities through sales of owned communities and terminations of triple-net lease obligations, and exited substantially all of our senior living unconsolidated venture arrangements. On July 1, 2021, we completed the sale of 80% of our equity in our Health Care Services segment to HCA Healthcare, Inc. ("HCA Healthcare") and retained a 20% equity interest in the venture with HCA Healthcare ("HCS Venture"). Segments As of December 31, 2022, we had three reportable segments: Independent Living; Assisted Living and Memory Care; and CCRCs. These segments were determined based on the way that our chief operating decision maker organizes our business activities for making operating decisions, assessing performance, developing strategy, and allocating capital resources. 11 Communities that we own or lease are included in the Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care, or CCRCs segment, as applicable. Communities that we manage on behalf of others are included in the All Other category. The table below shows the number of communities and units within each of our senior housing segments and the All Other category as of December 31, 2022. Communities Units % of Total Units Average Number of Units per Community Independent Living 68 12,569 22.1 % 185 Assisted Living and Memory Care 554 34,407 60.5 % 62 CCRCs 19 5,191 9.1 % 273 All Other 32 4,725 8.3 % 148 Total 673 56,892 100.0 % 85 For the year ended December 31, 2022, we generated 93.5% of our resident fee revenue from private pay customers, 5.1% from government reimbursement programs (primarily Medicaid and Medicare) and 1.4% from other payor sources. Our owned communities generated 58.4% of our resident fee revenue and our leased communities generated 41.6% of our resident fee revenue. The table below shows the percentage of our resident fee and management fee revenue attributable to each of our segments or All Other category for the year ended December 31, 2022. (in thousands) Resident Fee and Management Fee Revenue % of Total Independent Living $ 507,793 19.5 % Assisted Living and Memory Care 1,755,092 67.6 % CCRCs 322,644 12.4 % All Other 12,020 0.5 % Total resident fee and management fee revenue $ 2,597,549 100.0 % Further operating results and financial metrics from our three reportable segments are discussed further in "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and Note 21 to our consolidated financial statements contained in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data." Our Community Offerings We offer a variety of senior living communities in locations across the United States. We operate and manage independent living, assisted living, memory care, and continuing care retirement communities. The majority of our units are organized in campus-like settings or stand-alone communities offering multiple service levels. Independent Living Communities Our independent living communities are primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors who desire to live in a residential setting that feels like home, without the efforts of ownership. Some of our independent living residents choose to relocate to a community in a metropolitan area that is closer to their adult children. The majority of our independent living communities consist of both independent and assisted living units in a single community, which allows residents to age-in-place by providing them with a broad continuum of senior independent and assisted living services to accommodate their changing needs. While the number varies depending upon the particular community, as of December 31, 2022 approximately 80% of all of the units at our independent living communities were independent living units, with the balance of the units operating as licensed assisted living and memory care units. Our independent living communities are generally large multi-story buildings with extensive common areas and amenities to support the lifestyle preferences of more independent seniors. Residents may choose from studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units, depending upon the specific community. Each independent living community provides residents with basic services such as dining service options, an emergency alert system, housekeeping, education and wellness programs, and recreational activities. Most of these communities also offer (either directly or through access to third-party service providers) custom tailored concierge and personal assistance/private duty services at an additional charge, which may include medication reminders, daily check-in, transportation, shopping, escort, and companion services. 12 In addition to the basic services, our independent living communities that include assisted living also provide residents with personal care and convenience service options to provide assistance with activities of daily living ("ADLs"). The levels of care provided to residents vary from community to community depending, among other things, upon the licensing requirements and healthcare regulations of the state in which the community is located. Residents in our independent living communities are able to maintain their residency for an extended period of time due to the range of service options available (not including skilled nursing). Residents with cognitive or physical frailties and higher level service needs can often be accommodated with supplemental services in their own units or, in certain communities, are cared for in a more structured and supervised environment on a separate wing or floor. These communities also generally have dedicated assisted living associates and separate assisted living dining rooms and activity areas. Assisted Living and Memory Care Communities Our assisted living and memory care communities offer housing and 24-hour assistance with ADLs for our residents. Residents typically enter an assisted living or memory care community due to a relatively immediate need for services that may have been triggered by a medical event. Our assisted living and memory care communities include both freestanding, multi-story communities with more than 50 units, as well as smaller, freestanding, single story communities. Although building layouts will vary depending on specific location, the community may include (i) private studio, one-bedroom, and one-bedroom deluxe apartments, or (ii) individual rooms for one or two residents in wings or "neighborhoods" scaled to a single-family home, that would include a living room, dining room, patio or enclosed porch, laundry room, and personal care area, as well as a caregiver work station. We also provide memory care services at freestanding memory care communities that are specifically designed for residents with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and other forms of cognitive impairment. Our freestanding memory care communities average 39 units and some are part of a campus-like setting which includes a freestanding assisted living community. As of December 31, 2022, we provide memory care services at 339 of our communities, aggregating 8,996 memory care units across our segments. These communities include 108 freestanding memory care communities with 4,203 units included in our Assisted Living and Memory Care segment. All residents at our assisted living and memory care communities are eligible to receive the basic care level, which includes ongoing health assessments, three meals per day and snacks, coordination of special diets planned by a registered dietitian, 24-hour staff assistance, assistance with medical care coordination, education and wellness programs, social and recreational activities providing socialization and engagement, housekeeping, and personal laundry services. In some locations, we offer our residents exercise programs and programs designed to address needs associated with early stages of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. For an additional cost at these communities, we offer higher levels of personal care services to residents who are more physically frail or require more frequent or intensive physical assistance or increased personal care and supervision due to cognitive impairments. As a result of their progressive cognitive decline, residents at our memory care units typically require higher levels of personal care and services than in assisted living and therefore pay higher monthly service fees. Specialized services include assistance with ADLs, behavior management, and an activities program, the goal of which is to provide a normalized environment that supports residents' decreased functional abilities. CCRCs Our CCRCs are large communities that offer a variety of living arrangements and services to accommodate a broad spectrum of physical ability and healthcare needs. Most of our CCRCs have independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing available on one campus or within the immediate area. Our CCRC residents are generally seniors seeking a community offering a broad continuum of care enabling them to age-in-place. Generally, these residents will initially enter the community as independent living residents and may, at a later time, advance into an assisted living, memory care, or skilled nursing area as their needs change. Residents can also enter the CCRC communities directly into assisted living, memory care, or skilled nursing and, in some cases, may enter via the skilled nursing product line following an acute event and subsequently transfer from the skilled nursing unit to one of the other on-campus service lines. Management Services As of December 31, 2022, we managed a total of 32 communities (4,725 units) on behalf of others, which represented approximately 8% of our senior housing capacity. Under our management arrangements, we receive management fees, which 13 are generally determined by an agreed upon percentage of gross revenues (as defined in the management arrangement), as well as reimbursed expenses, which represent the reimbursement of certain expenses we incur on behalf of the owners. Competitive Strengths We believe our nationwide network of senior living communities is well positioned to benefit from the growth and increasing demand in the industry. Some of our most significant competitive strengths are: • Skilled management team with extensive experience . Our senior management team has extensive experience in the senior living industry, including operating and managing a broad range of senior living assets, and related healthcare, hospitality, and real estate experience. • Geographically diverse, high-quality, purpose-built communities . As of December 31, 2022, we operated a nationwide base of 673 communities in 41 states. • Ability to provide a broad spectrum of care . Given our diverse mix of independent living, assisted living, memory care, and CCRCs communities, we are able to meet a wide range of our customers' needs. Through our comprehensive network of services, we help to provide seniors with care and services to support their lifestyle in an environment that feels like home. We believe that we are one of the few companies in the senior living industry with this capability and the ability to do so at scale on a national basis. We believe that our multiple product offerings create marketing synergies and cross-selling opportunities. • The size of our business allows us to realize cost and operating efficiencies. We are the largest operator of senior living communities in the United States based on total capacity. The size of our business allows us to realize cost savings and economies of scale in the procurement of goods and services. Our scale also allows us to achieve increased efficiencies with respect to various corporate functions. We intend to continue utilizing our expertise and size to capitalize on economies of scale resulting from our national platform to enhance our residents' experiences. Our geographic footprint and centralized infrastructure provide us with an operational advantage. We negotiate contracts for food, insurance, and other goods and services with the advantages that scale provides. In addition, we have and will continue to leverage our centralized corporate functions such as finance, human resources, legal, information technology, and marketing. Seasonality Our senior housing business has typically experienced some seasonality, which we experience in certain regions more than others, due to weather patterns, geography, and higher incidence and severity of flu and other illnesses during winter months. Although our seasonal pattern varies from year to year and occupancy patterns have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, historically our average monthly occupancy has generally begun to decline sequentially toward the end of the fourth quarter of the year, and we have generally expected average monthly occupancy to begin to increase towards the end of the second quarter each year with the third quarter historically being the highest occupancy growth period of the year. Utility expenses trend seasonally high in the first quarter and third quarter of each year. Facility operating expenses, such as labor, food, and supplies also trend higher in the second half of the year compared with the first half due to an increased number of working days. Operations Operations Overview We have implemented intensive standards, policies and procedures, and systems, including detailed associate resources and training, which we believe have contributed to high levels of customer service. Further, we believe our centralized support infrastructure allows our community-based leaders and personnel to focus on resident care and family connections. Consolidated Corporate Operations Support We have developed a centralized support infrastructure and services platform, which we believe provides us with a significant operational advantage over local and regional operators of senior living communities. The size of our business also allows us to achieve increased efficiencies with respect to various corporate functions such as procurement, human resources, finance, accounting, legal, information technology, and marketing. We are also able to realize cost efficiencies in the purchasing of food, supplies, insurance, benefits, and other goods and services. In addition, we have established centralized operations groups to support all of our product lines and communities in areas such as training, regulatory affairs, asset management, dining, clinical services, sales, customer engagement, marketing, and procurement. We have also established company-wide policies and 14 procedures relating to, among other things: resident care; community design and community operations; billing and collections; accounts payable; finance and accounting; risk management; development of associate training materials and programs; advertising and marketing activities; the hiring and training of management and other community-based personnel; compliance with applicable local and state regulatory requirements; and implementation of our acquisition, development, and leasing plans. Community Staffing and Training Each community has an Executive Director responsible for the overall day-to-day operations of the community, including quality of care and service, social services, and financial performance. Each Executive Director receives specialized training from our learning and development associates. In addition, a portion of each Executive Director's compensation is directly tied to the operating performance of the community. We continue to take actions intended to simplify the role of our Executive Director to allow them to focus on our residents and their families and our associates. We believe that the quality of our communities, coupled with support provided by the regional support infrastructure and our ability to provide industry-leading systems and training, has enabled us to attract high-quality, professional community Executive Directors. Depending upon the size and type of the community, each Executive Director is supported by key leaders, a Health and Wellness Director (or nursing director), and/or a Sales Director. The Health and Wellness Director or nursing director is directly responsible for day-to-day care of residents. The Sales Director oversees the community's sales, marketing, and community outreach programs. Other key positions supporting each community may include individuals responsible for food service, healthcare services, activities, housekeeping, and maintenance. We believe that quality of care and operating efficiency can be maximized by direct resident and associate contact. Associates involved in resident care, including administrative associates, are trained in support and care protocols, including emergency response techniques. We have adopted formal training and evaluation procedures to help ensure quality care for our residents. We have extensive policy and procedure manuals and hold regular training sessions for management and non-management associates at each community. Quality Assurance We maintain quality assurance programs at each of our communities overseen by our corporate and regional associates. Our quality assurance programs are designed to achieve a high degree of resident and family member satisfaction through the care and services that we provide and we have continued to transform our efforts throughout the pandemic through collaboration with our vendors and a combination of remote and in-person visits. Our quality control measures include, among other things, community inspections conducted by corporate associates on a regular basis. These inspections cover the appearance of the exterior and grounds; the appearance and cleanliness of the interior; the professionalism and friendliness of associates; quality of resident care (including assisted living services and nursing care); the quality of activities and the dining program; observance of residents in their daily living activities; and compliance with government regulations. Our quality control measures also include the survey of residents and family members on a regular basis to monitor their perception of the quality of services we provide to residents. In order to foster a sense of belonging and engagement, as well as to respond to residents' needs and desires, at many of our communities, we have established a resident council or other resident advisory committees that meet at least monthly with the Executive Director of the community. Separate resident committees also exist at many of these communities for food service, activities, marketing, and hospitality. These committees promote resident involvement and satisfaction and enable community management to be more responsive to their residents' needs and desires. Marketing and Sales Our marketing efforts are intended to create awareness of our brand and services to educate prospects and referral sources about the Brookdale difference. We meet prospects where they are in their journey, whether they are learning about senior living for the first time or need to schedule a visit at one of our communities. We target a variety of audiences who have a role in the decision-making process for senior housing and our healthcare services, including potential residents, their family members and referral sources, including the medical community (hospital discharge planners, physicians, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and social workers), professional organizations, employer groups, clergy, area agencies for the elderly, and paid referral organizations. Our marketing associates develop strategies to promote our communities at the local market and national level. We execute an integrated marketing campaign approach, including local media and outreach programs, digital advertising, social media, print advertising, e-mail, direct mail, and special events, such as health fairs and community receptions. All online forms and many calls are handled by trained senior living advisors in our Brookdale Connection Center, 15 who schedule visits directly to our communities. Certain resident referral programs have been established and promoted at many communities within the limitations of federal and state laws. We will continue to leverage and grow our Brookdale brand to win locally in the markets we serve. In many markets where we offer more choices for senior living based on budget, lifestyle, and care needs, we use a network selling methodology to educate prospects on all of the options available. With our selling model, sales associates are organized to support individual and multiple communities directly. To meet the needs of local demand and supply, we create differentiated value through the segmentation of our communities based on price, service offerings, amenities, and programs offered. Human Capital Resources Our Associates We are dedicated to enriching the lives of those we serve with compassion, respect, excellence, and integrity. We know that our success is dependent on attracting, engaging, developing, and retaining the best associates. As of December 31, 2022, we employed approximately 36,000 associates, 70% of whom were full-time. Approximately 1,400 corporate and regional associates support our community-based associates. As of December 31, 2022, approximately 80% of our associates are women, who comprise approximately 70% of the leadership roles at our communities and corporate offices. Approximately 60% of our associates and 15% of individuals in our leadership roles are people of color. During 2022, we continued to experience pressures associated with the intensely competitive labor environment. We seek to ensure that our communities are staffed with full and part-time associates. In 2022, we have focused on increasing our net hires in order to decrease our use of more expensive premium labor to cover existing open positions and, as a result, we increased the number of community associates by approximately 4,800 during 2022. We have continued to diversify and optimize our recruiting efforts to fill open positions, reviewed wage rates in our markets, made adjustments, and we will monitor to remain competitive. Inclusion and Diversity To attract and retain associates, we are committed to maintaining a welcoming and inclusive environment where people have an equal chance to grow and succeed. We support our associates by providing an open door policy, offering training to help our people grow and to understand our commitment to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment, consistently enforcing our policies, and maintaining the expectation that all our associates will be treated with dignity and respect. Brookdale is committed to inclusion and diversity – built on a foundation of trust, partnership, courage, and passion. We define diversity as the representation of associates from different groups, ideas, perspectives, and values. We define inclusion as a culture of policies and practices that actively engages and provides each of our associates with the opportunity to be successful at Brookdale. We believe an inclusive and diverse culture can help achieve our mission by: • Attracting and retaining the best talent by recruiting from a broad array of backgrounds for all levels of the organization and investing in our talent; • Increasing growth, productivity, and engagement by fostering a workplace where all associates feel valued and contribute to their fullest potential; • Making Brookdale the place for top talent, driving outstanding service for our residents, and increasing stockholder value; and • Equipping our associates with resources to serve the changing demographics and needs of residents. In 2022, we launched our first six-month long development program focused on identifying a diverse mix of associates interested in an Executive Director career path. Nearly 50% of the program participants identify as people of color. This program helps equip future leaders with the skills they need to advance their career with Brookdale. We intend to further expand the program in 2023. 16 Talent Acquisition, Development, and Retention We want to attract people who want to do challenging yet rewarding work and who want to make a difference in the lives of others. We want our associates to feel valued, to find purpose and meaning in their work, and to know they make an impact that stretches beyond the walls of the communities and offices. In order to attract high quality talent, we offer competitive wages and benefits as well as opportunities to grow a career at Brookdale through education, training, and on-the-job development experiences. Recruitment strategies In order to attract people who want the chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves, we use a variety of strategies to attract and hire diverse talent to our organization. To support hiring managers in our communities, we partnered with our vendors to continue to optimize our recruiting technologies in order to simplify and enhance local sourcing and recruiting processes. We also increased the number of market-based recruiters to provide additional hiring support for our community-based roles. We implemented processes to support recruiting from military settings. Additionally, we continue to post to and source from job sites created for under-represented groups to expand our pipeline of candidates. Development We offer learning opportunities for our associates when they join Brookdale and throughout their careers to better serve our residents and to grow their career. Our Brookdale University provides training and leadership development for leaders across the organization. Our learning and development programs were recognized in 2022 when Brookdale was named, for the third year in a row, one of the elite Training APEX Awards winners by Training magazine. In 2022, we began offering an advanced fees program to assist associates interested in becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant ("CNA") or Medication Technician. Associates who qualify can have their training fees paid for, in advance, to achieve certification in these areas. This initiative helps remove the cost barrier for those who are interested in a CNA or Medication Technician career with Brookdale. Retention We believe the performance of our individual communities and of our company as a whole are correlated to retention of our key community leaders and our corporate and regional associates. Our 2022 annual incentive plan included the strategic objectives of retaining key community leadership (Executive Directors, Health and Wellness Directors, and Sales Directors) at our same community portfolio and retaining our corporate and regional associates. For the year ended December 31, 2022, our retention of key community leaders in our same community portfolio was 62%, and our retention of corporate and regional associates was 82%. We also believe that it is important to hear from our associates as a way to engage and retain them. To that end, in 2022, we conducted engagement pulse surveys for specific populations to focus on certain actions to engage and retain them. Total Rewards To attract and retain the best associates, we offer a competitive total rewards program, which we believe is an important aspect of our overall compensation. Both full-time and part-time associates are offered benefits, including a 401(k) retirement savings plan with the opportunity for matching contributions, as well as medical, dental, and other types of insurance. In 2022, approximately half of our eligible full-time associates participated in our medical plans. We also know maintaining overall well-being is important, which is why we offer benefits to cover a spectrum of needs. For example, full-time associates enrolled in one of our medical plans can receive a wellness incentive for completing their annual physical. Associates enrolled in a Brookdale medical plan are also eligible to participate in a free coach-led digital program for chronic back, knee, or hip pain. They also are able to use a mobile phone application to help individuals process and cope with life’s challenges, for free. Brookdale also recognizes the importance of financial wellbeing, which is why we offer access to a financial wellness program for all associates. 17 Industry Regulation The regulatory environment surrounding the senior living industry continues to intensify in the number and type of laws and regulations affecting it. Federal, state, and local officials are increasingly focusing their efforts on enforcement of these laws and regulations. This is particularly true for large for-profit, multi-community providers like us. Some of the laws and regulations that impact our industry include: state and local laws impacting licensure, protecting consumers against unfair and deceptive trade practices, and generally affecting the communities' management of property and equipment and how we otherwise conduct our operations, such as fire, health, safety, and privacy laws and regulations; federal and state laws governing Medicare and Medicaid, which regulate allowable costs, pricing, quality of services, quality of care, food service, resident rights (including abuse and neglect) and fraud; federal and state residents' rights statutes and regulations; anti-kickback and physician self-referral ("Stark") laws; safety and health standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; and federal, state, and local employment-related laws and regulations. We are unable to predict the future course of federal, state, and local legislation or regulation. Changes in the regulatory framework could have a material adverse effect on our business. Many senior living communities are also subject to regulation and licensing by state and local health and social service agencies and other regulatory authorities. Although requirements vary from state to state, these requirements may address, among others, the following: personnel education, training, and records; community services; staffing; physical plant specifications; furnishing of resident units; food and housekeeping services; emergency evacuation plans; emergency power generator requirements; professional licensing and certification of staff; and resident rights and responsibilities. In several of the states in which we operate there are different levels of care that may be provided based on the level of licensure. In several of the states in which we operate, or intend to operate, assisted living and memory care communities or skilled nursing facilities require a certificate of need before a community may be opened or the services at an existing community may be expanded. Senior living communities may also be subject to state and/or local building, zoning, fire, and food service codes and must be in compliance with these local codes before licensing or certification may be granted. These laws and regulatory requirements could affect our ability to expand into new markets and to expand our services and communities in existing markets. Unannounced surveys or inspections may occur annually, bi-or tri-annually, or following a regulator's receipt of a complaint about a provider. From time to time in the ordinary course of business, we receive survey reports from state or federal regulatory bodies citing deficiencies resulting from such inspections or surveys. Most inspection deficiencies are resolved through a plan of corrective action relating to the community's operations, but the reviewing agency may have the authority to take further action against a licensed or certified community, which could result in the imposition of fines, imposition of a provisional or conditional license, suspension or revocation of a license, suspension or denial of admissions or denial of payment for admissions, loss of certification as a provider under federal and/or state reimbursement programs, or imposition of other sanctions, including criminal penalties. Loss, suspension, or modification of a license may also cause us to default under our debt and lease documents and/or trigger cross-defaults. Sanctions may be taken against providers or facilities without regard to the providers' or facilities' history of compliance. In addition, states' Attorneys General vigorously enforce consumer protection laws as those laws relate to the senior living industry. State Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Units may also investigate assisted living and memory care communities even if the community or any of its residents do not receive federal or state funds. We may also expend considerable resources to respond to federal and state investigations or other enforcement action under applicable laws or regulations (including investigations and actions by state Attorneys General and other state and local authorities). To date, none of the deficiency reports received by us has resulted in a suspension, fine, or other disposition that has had a material adverse effect on our revenues, results of operations, or cash flows. However, any future substantial failure to comply with any applicable legal and regulatory requirements could result in a material adverse effect to our business as a whole. Regulation of the senior living industry is evolving at least partly because of the growing interests of a variety of advocacy organizations and political movements attempting to standardize regulations for certain segments of the industry, particularly assisted living and memory care. Our operations could suffer from future regulatory developments, such as federal assisted living and memory care laws and regulations, as well as mandatory increases in the scope and severity of deficiencies determined by survey or inspection officials or an increase in the number of citations that can result in civil or criminal penalties. Certain current state laws and regulations allow enforcement officials to make determinations on whether the care provided by one or more of our communities exceeds the level of care for which the community is licensed. Furthermore, certain states may allow citations in one community to impact other communities in the state. Revocation or suspension of a license, or a citation, at a given community could therefore impact our ability to obtain new licenses or to renew existing licenses at other communities, which may also cause us to be in default under our loan or lease agreements and trigger cross-defaults or may also trigger defaults under certain of our credit agreements, or adversely affect our ability to operate and/or obtain financing in the future. If a state were to find that one community's citation will impact another of our communities, this will also increase costs and result in increased surveillance by the state survey agency. If regulatory requirements increase, whether through enactment of new laws or regulations or changes in the enforcement of existing rules, including increased 18 enforcement brought about by advocacy groups, in addition to federal and state regulators, our operations could be adversely affected. Any adverse finding by survey and inspection officials may serve as the basis for false claims lawsuits by private plaintiffs and may lead to investigations under federal and state laws, which may result in civil and/or criminal penalties against the community or individual. There are various extremely complex federal and state laws governing a wide array of referrals, relationships, and arrangements and prohibiting fraud by healthcare providers, including those in the senior living industry, and governmental agencies are devoting increasing attention and resources to such anti-fraud initiatives. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 expanded the penalties for healthcare fraud. With respect to our participation in federal healthcare reimbursement programs, the government or private individuals acting on behalf of the government may bring an action under the False Claims Act alleging that a healthcare provider has defrauded the government and seek treble damages for false claims and the payment of additional monetary civil penalties. The False Claims Act allows a private individual with knowledge of fraud to bring a claim on behalf of the federal government and earn a percentage of the federal government's recovery. Because of these incentives, so-called "whistleblower" suits have become more frequent. Additionally, since we operate communities that participate in federal and/or state healthcare reimbursement programs, we are subject to federal and state laws that prohibit anyone from presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for reimbursement which are false, fraudulent, or are for items or services that were not provided as claimed. Similar state laws vary from state to state. Violation of any of these laws can result in loss of licensure, citations, sanctions, and other criminal or civil fines and penalties, the refund of overpayments, payment suspensions, or termination of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs, which may also cause us to default under our debt and lease documents and/or trigger cross-defaults. We are subject to certain federal and state laws that regulate financial arrangements by healthcare providers, such as the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark laws, and certain state referral laws. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute makes it unlawful for any person to offer or pay (or to solicit or receive) "any remuneration ... directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind" for referring or recommending for purchase any item or service which is eligible for payment under the Medicare and/or Medicaid programs. Authorities have interpreted this statute very broadly to apply to many practices and relationships between healthcare providers and sources of patient referral. If we were to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, we may face criminal penalties and civil sanctions, including fines and possible exclusion from government reimbursement programs, which may also cause us to default under our debt and lease documents and/or trigger cross-defaults. Adverse consequences may also result if we violate federal Stark laws related to certain Medicare and Medicaid physician referrals. While we endeavor to comply with all laws that regulate the licensure and operation of our business, it is difficult to predict how our revenues could be affected if we were subject to an action alleging such violations. We are subject to federal and state laws designed to protect the confidentiality of patient health information. The United States Department of Health and Human Services has issued rules pursuant to HIPAA relating to the privacy of such information. Rules that became effective in 2003 govern our use and disclosure of health information at certain HIPAA covered communities. We established procedures to comply with HIPAA privacy requirements at these communities. We were required to be in compliance with the HIPAA rule establishing administrative, physical, and technical security standards for health information by 2005. To the best of our knowledge, we are in compliance with these rules. In addition, states have begun to enact more comprehensive privacy laws and regulations addressing consumer rights to data protection or transparency. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act became effective in 2020 and the California Privacy Rights Act, Colorado Privacy Act, and Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act are effective in 2023. We expect additional federal and state legislative and regulatory efforts to regulate consumer privacy protection in the future. These legislative and regulatory developments will impact the design and operation of our business and our privacy and security efforts. We are subject to federal and state laws, regulations and executive orders relating to healthcare providers’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These requirements vary based on provider type and jurisdiction but generally may include mandatory requirements for vacation of staff, testing of residents and/or staff, providing COVID-19 related paid leave, implementation of infection control standards and procedures, imposition of restrictions on new admissions or readmissions of residents, required screening of all persons entering a community, imposition of restrictions or limitations on who and how residents may be visited, and imposition of mandatory notification requirements to residents, families, staff, and regulatory bodies related to positive COVID-19 cases. Enhanced or additional penalties may apply for violation of such requirements. We are also subject to a wide variety of federal, state, and local employment-related laws and regulations which govern matters including, but not limited to, wage and hour requirements, equal employment opportunity obligations, leaves of absence and reasonable accommodations, employee benefits, the right of employees to engage in protected concerted activity (including union organizing), and occupational health and safety requirements. Because labor represents such a large portion of our operating expenses, changes in federal, state, and local employment-related laws and regulations could increase our cost of 19 doing business. Furthermore, any failure to comply with these laws can result in significant protracted litigation, government investigation, penalties, or other damages which could harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business. Medicare and Medicaid Programs Reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid represented 1.8% and 3.3%, respectively, of our consolidated resident fee revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022. Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements represented 18.0% of our CCRCs segment's resident fee revenue during such period. Medicare is a federal program that provides certain hospital and medical insurance benefits to persons age 65 and over and certain disabled persons. We receive revenue for our skilled nursing services from Medicare. Medicaid is a medical assistance program administered by each state, funded with federal and state funds pursuant to which healthcare benefits are available to certain indigent or disabled patients. We receive reimbursements under Medicaid (including state Medicaid waiver programs) for many of our assisted living and memory care communities. Reimbursement levels under the Medicare and Medicaid programs may not remain at levels comparable to present levels or may not be sufficient to cover the costs allocable to patients eligible for reimbursement. Medicare reimbursement for skilled nursing services is subject to fixed payments under the Medicare prospective payment systems. In accordance with Medicare laws, CMS makes annual adjustments to Medicare payment rates. Medicaid reimbursement rates for many of our assisted living and memory care communities also are based upon fixed payment systems. Generally, these rates are adjusted annually for inflation. However, those adjustments may not reflect actual increases of the cost of providing healthcare services. In addition, Medicaid reimbursement can be impacted negatively by state budgetary pressures, which may lead to reduced reimbursement or delays in receiving payments. The Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement programs are highly regulated, involve significant administrative discretion, and are subject to frequent and substantial legislative, administrative, and interpretive changes, which may significantly affect reimbursement rates and the methods and timing of payments made under these programs. As a result of our participation in such programs, we are subject to government reviews, audits, and investigations to verify compliance with these programs and applicable laws and regulations. CMS has engaged third-party firms to review claims data to evaluate appropriateness of billings. In addition to identifying overpayments, audit contractors can refer suspected violations to government authorities. An adverse outcome of government scrutiny may result in citations, sanctions, other criminal or civil fines and penalties, the refund of overpayments, payment suspensions, or termination of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Environmental Matters Under various federal, state, and local environmental laws, a current or previous owner or operator of real property, such as us, may be held liable in certain circumstances for the costs of investigation, removal, or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances, including, among others, petroleum and materials containing asbestos, that could be located on, in, at, or under a property, regardless of how such materials came to be located there. Additionally, such an owner or operator of real property may incur costs relating to the release of hazardous or toxic substances, including government fines and payments for personal injuries or damage to adjacent property. The cost of any required investigation, remediation, removal, mitigation, compliance, fines, or personal or property damages and our liability therefore could exceed the property's value and/or our assets' value. The presence of such substances, or the failure to properly dispose of or remediate the damage caused by such substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell such property, to attract additional residents, retain existing residents, to borrow using such property as collateral, or to develop or redevelop such property. Such laws impose liability for investigation, remediation, removal, and mitigation costs on persons who disposed of or arranged for the disposal of hazardous substances at third-party sites. Such laws and regulations often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence, release, or disposal of such substances as well as without regard to whether such release or disposal was in compliance with law at the time it occurred. Moreover, the imposition of such liability upon us could be joint and several, which means we could be required to pay for the cost of cleaning up contamination caused by others who have become insolvent or otherwise judgment proof. We do not believe that we have incurred such liabilities that would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow. Our operations are subject to regulation under various federal, state, and local environmental laws, including those relating to: the handling, storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal of medical waste products generated at our communities; identification and warning of the presence of asbestos-containing materials in buildings, as well as removal of such materials; the presence of other substances in the indoor environment; and protection of the environment and natural resources in connection with development or construction of our properties. 20 Some of our communities generate infectious or other hazardous medical waste due to the illness or physical condition of the residents, including, for example, blood-contaminated bandages, swabs and other medical waste products, and incontinence products of those residents diagnosed with an infectious disease. The management of infectious medical waste, including its handling, storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal, is subject to regulation under various federal, state, and local environmental laws. These environmental laws set forth the management requirements for such waste, as well as related permit, record-keeping, notice, and reporting obligations. Our communities' engagement of waste management companies for the proper disposal of all infectious medical waste does not immunize us from alleged violations of such medical waste laws for operations for which we are responsible even if carried out by such waste management companies, nor does it immunize us from third-party claims for the cost to cleanup disposal sites at which such wastes have been disposed. Any finding that we are not in compliance with environmental laws could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow. Federal regulations require building owners and those exercising control over a building's management to identify and warn, via signs and labels, their employees and certain other employers operating in the building of potential hazards posed by workplace exposure to installed asbestos-containing materials and potential asbestos-containing materials in their buildings. The regulations also set forth employee training, record-keeping requirements, and sampling protocols pertaining to asbestos-containing materials and potential asbestos-containing materials. Significant fines can be assessed for violation of these regulations. Building owners and those exercising control over a building's management may be subject to an increased risk of personal injury lawsuits by workers and others exposed to asbestos-containing materials and potential asbestos-containing materials. The regulations may affect the value of a building containing asbestos-containing materials and potential asbestos-containing materials in which we have invested. Federal, state, and local laws and regulations also govern the removal, encapsulation, disturbance, handling, and/or disposal of asbestos-containing materials and potential asbestos-containing materials when such materials are in poor condition or in the event of construction, remodeling, renovation, or demolition of a building. Such laws may impose liability for improper handling or a release to the environment of asbestos-containing materials and potential asbestos-containing materials and may provide for fines to, and for third parties to seek recovery from, owners or operators of real properties for personal injury or improper work exposure associated with asbestos-containing materials and potential asbestos-containing materials. The presence of mold, lead-based paint, contaminants in drinking water, radon, and/or other substances at any of the communities we own or may acquire may lead to the incurrence of costs for remediation, mitigation, or the implementation of an operations and maintenance plan. Furthermore, the presence of mold, lead-based paint, contaminants in drinking water, radon, and/or other substances at any of the communities we own or may acquire may present a risk that third parties will seek recovery from the owners, operators, or tenants of such properties for personal injury or property damage. In some circumstances, areas affected by mold may be unusable for periods of time for repairs, and even after successful remediation, the known prior presence of extensive mold could adversely affect the ability of a community to retain or attract residents and could adversely affect a community's market value. We believe that we are in material compliance with applicable environmental laws. We are unable to predict the future course of federal, state, and local environmental regulation and legislation. Changes in the environmental regulatory framework (including legislative or regulatory efforts designed to address climate change) could have a material adverse effect on our business. Available Information Information regarding our community and service offerings can be found at our website, www.brookdale.com. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports are available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC, at the following address: www.brookdaleinvestors.com. The information within, or that can be accessed through, our website addresses is not part of this report. 21