The Ensign Group, Inc. Announces the Appointment of Covey C. Christensen as President...

The Ensign Group, Inc. Announces the Appointment of Covey C. Christensen as
President of Its Flagstone Subsidiary

MISSION VIEJO, Calif., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Ensign Group,
Inc. (Nasdaq: ENSG), the parent company of the Ensign(TM) group of skilled
nursing, rehabilitative care services and assisted living companies, today
announced that Covey C. Christensen has been named as President of The
Flagstone Group, Inc., the Ensign subsidiary responsible for supporting
fifteen Southern California operating locations located throughout
Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties. The appointment was effective as
of February 1, 2008.
(Logo: here)
Mr. Christensen has been serving as the CEO and Administrator of Southland
Care Center & Home, Ensign's flagship skilled nursing and assisted living
campus in Norwalk, California, for the past four years.
Ensign Chief Financial OfficerAlan Norman said, "During Mr. Christensen's
tenure, Southland has become a facility of choice in the Norwalk community,
running at or near 100% occupancy, often with a waiting list. It was the first
Ensign facility to win the coveted Ensign 'Flag,' the company's highest
quality award, three years in a row. In addition, under Mr. Christensen's
leadership, Southland's net income has grown by over 60% since 2005, while its
clinical staff has concurrently maintained superior quality indicators and
clinical survey results."
Mr. Norman continued, "We are delighted to have Covey Christensen take on
this important role, and believe that Flagstone will benefit from his
leadership."
Prior to becoming CEO at Southland, Mr. Christensen served in various
capacities at Ensign, including stints as Operations Manager at Whittier Hills
Healthcare, a 160-bed skilled nursing facility in Whittier, California, as
Executive Director and Administrator of Premier Care, a 99-bed skilled nursing
facility in Palm Springs, California, and as CEO and Administrator of Atlantic
Memorial Healthcare, a 109-bed skilled nursing facility in Long Beach,
California. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from Brigham Young University, and
was an accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP before joining Ensign in
1999. In addition to his duties with Flagstone, he will serve as interim CEO
of Southland until a successor is named.
Ensign's Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Christensen, has been doing
double duty as both Ensign's CEO and Flagstone's interim President since May
2007. The Company's intention to install a permanent leader for Flagstone was
previously disclosed in Ensign's recent Registration Statement on Form S-1 and
Form 10-Q for the third quarter of 2007. Covey Christensen is the son of
Ensign's Chairman, Roy E. Christensen, and the brother of Ensign's CEO and
President, Christopher Christensen.
About The Ensign Group, Inc.
The Ensign Group, Inc.'s operating subsidiaries provide a broad spectrum
of skilled nursing and assisted living services, physical, occupational and
speech therapies, and other rehabilitative and healthcare services for both
long-term residents and short-stay rehabilitation patients, at 61 separate
operating locations in California, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Utah and Idaho.
More information about Ensign is available at www.ensigngroup.net.
SOURCE The Ensign Group, Inc.

Robert East of Westwicke Partners LLC, +1-410-321-9652,
bob.east@westwickepartners.com, for The Ensign Group, Inc.; or Gregory Stapley
of The Ensign Group, Inc., +1-949-487-9500, ir@ensigngroup.net