New Jersey Lawyer Blog
Families trust nursing homes to provide their aging loved ones professional round-the-clock care when they are no longer able to care for them. While there are many high-quality nursing homes in the United States, the unfortunate reality is that many facilities put profits before patients and are chronically understaffed and poorly equipped to provide their elder residents an adequate level of care. New Jersey is no exception: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which rates nursing homes throughout the country for compliance with federal regulations and publishes its findings on Medicare.gov’s Nursing Home Compare website, ranks more than two dozen state homes as “much below average,” its lowest rating.
Families rely on the Nursing Home Compare tool to help them make informed decisions about where to place their senior loved ones. CMS assesses nursing facilities periodically and scores them on such factors as safety, cleanliness, and staffing levels. Of the 363 nursing homes in the Garden State evaluated by CMS, 28 earned one-star ratings out of a possible five and another earned zero stars.
As is typically the case with nursing homes judged deficient in one or more safety categories, these facilities experienced issues with food sanitation, failure to prevent medication errors, inadequate infection prevention measures, and poor cleanliness among others, according to CMS. The full list of homes is below.
The worst of the worst
One New Jersey nursing home was judged so deficient in safety and care that it didn’t even qualify for one star. Cornell Hall Care & Rehabilitation Center in Union was named a “Special Focus Facility (SFF),” which is a designation indicated on Nursing Home Compare by a yellow warning triangle. SFF-designated facilities generally have longstanding and persistent records of poor quality which have gone uncorrected, and are under special scrutiny by CMS for potential elimination of their Medicare and Medicaid funding.
In its most recent inspection reports, Cornell Hall Care & Rehabilitation was cited for poor medication record-keeping, labeling, and storage; inadequacies with food service; failure to return deceased residents’ personal funds in a timely manner; poor pressure ulcer (bed sore) care and prevention; inadequate urinary catheter care; failure to provide safe and appropriate respiratory care to a resident; and pharmaceutical deficiencies.
CMS only inspects and ranks facilities that receive federal funds, therefore its rankings are not inclusive of every nursing home facility in New Jersey or the United States. Facilities that consistently perform poorly can receive monetary penalties or have their funding suspended until they correct deficiencies.
One-Star New Jersey Nursing Homes
- South Jersey Extended Care, Bridgeton
- Lakeview Rehabilitation and Care Center, Wayne
- Complete Care at Willow Creek, Somerset
- New Grove Manor, East Orange
- Sterling Manor, Maple Shade
- Windsor Gardens Care Center, East Orange
- The Voorhees Care & Rehabilitation Center
- Oceana Rehabilitation, Cape May
- Canterbury at Cedar Grove
- Manahawkin Convalescent Center
- Voorhees Center
- Forest Manor HCC, Hope
- Riverfront Rehabilitation, Pennsauken
- Millville Center
- Andover Subacute and Rehab, Andover
- Cedar Grove Respiratory and Nursing Center, Williamstown
- Aspen Hills Healthcare Center, Pemberton
- The Palace Rehabilitation and Care Center, Maple Shade
- Silver Healthcare Center, Cherry Hill
- Complete Care at Holiday City, Toms River
- Complete Care at Fair Lawn Edge, Patterson
- Allaire Rehab & Nursing, Freehold
- Cranford Park Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center
- Wardell Gardens at Tinton Falls
- Baptist Home of South Jersey, Riverton
- Shore Meadows Rehab & Nursing Center, Toms River
- Care One at Evesham, Marlton
- Roosevelt Care Center at Old Bridge
Contact a Reputable Bergen County Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect Lawyer
If you suspect your loved one has suffered abuse or neglect in a New Jersey nursing home, Aretsky Law PC is here to vindicate their rights. We have many years of experience successfully fighting for nursing home residents and their families, and we can put our expertise to work in pursuing compensation for your loved one’s negligent care.