New Jersey Nursing Homes: Violations, Fines and Worst Records

New Jersey has 348 nursing homes, and for-profit companies run 287 of them, far more than non-profit and government facilities combined. These numbers come from federal nursing home data files that CMS, the agency that runs Medicare, publishes. Of 344 reporting homes statewide, 214 fell short of the expected nurse hours. In those buildings, the yearly share of nursing staff who left averaged 39.7%, a rate that ranks 46th nationwide and falls under the 45.8% national rate.

During the past three inspection cycles, health inspectors cited infection control and prevention rules 534 times, the most common violation in New Jersey. For cases involving resident harm or immediate danger, state inspectors recorded 99 citations for accident hazards and supervision, ahead of all other safety rules. The $713,795 fine for Mohawk Meadows in Lafayette, issued in November 2023, stands as the state's largest single federal penalty since September 2023. The federal Special Focus Facility program, which covers homes with persistent compliance problems, counts just two New Jersey facilities: Crystal Lake Healthcare and Rehabilitation and Trenton Gardens Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

A Long-Term Care Facilities Search from the New Jersey Department of Health lists each building's owner, bed count, and license. The state, though, put the federal rating system in place of its old report card. The state posts no inspection or complaint findings online, so the federal records hold what inspectors found at each of the state's 348 facilities. On Medicare's Care Compare, a federal search site formerly named Nursing Home Compare, every New Jersey home links straight to its inspection reports, the Form CMS-2567 statement of deficiencies.

To report poor care, families can use the New Jersey Department of Health's complaint page online or call the state hotline, 1-800-792-9770. People receiving long-term care have an advocate in the New Jersey Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, an independent state office, and residents may call 1-877-582-6995 for help. When a vulnerable adult may be abused or exploited, call (855) 835-5277 to reach Adult Protective Services in New Jersey, which takes reports.