13 of the 210 Medicare-certified nursing homes in Colorado (6%) are government-run, and all are listed below. 2 of the 12 graded homes earn an A and 0 earn a D or F. They average 4.25 nursing hours per resident per day, 0.53 hours above the 3.72 for every home in Colorado. Bent County Healthcare Center in Las Animas grades highest at A (90 out of 100).
How government-run homes in Colorado compare
This group set against every nursing home in Colorado, from the current CMS release.
Nursing hours per resident per day
4.25
All homes in Colorado: 3.72
Better than the local average
Nurse staff turnover
45.3%
All homes in Colorado: 47.1%
Better than the local average
Average ElderGrade score
75.6/100
All homes in Colorado: 74.1/100
Better than the local average
Grade spread
A
B
C
2 grade A, 6 grade B, 4 grade C,
The best-graded government-run home in Colorado is
Bent County Healthcare Center
in Las Animas, CO, grade A, 90/100.
Bent County Healthcare Center is county-owned and runs 4.01 nurse staffing hours per resident day, slightly above the national average, with a CMS staffing score of 5 out of 5 and turnover at 42.6%, better than the national 45.8%. Weekends, though, run about 11% leaner than weekdays, so ask how that gap gets covered. The record shows 26 deficiencies, two of them at the harm or jeopardy level, plus one fine of $13,442; no abuse citations. The last inspection was May 1, 2025. Quality measures score 4 out of 5, inspections 3. Solid staffing and low turnover, but those two serious deficiencies are worth asking about directly.
Colorado Veterans Community Living Ctr At Homelake runs on unusually deep staffing for a 60-bed home, 5.08 nurse hours per resident day, roughly a third more than the national average, with turnover at 23.7% against a national 45.8%. That stability shows: a five-star staffing rating and a five-star health inspection record, with the most recent survey in October 2024. The friction sits elsewhere. Nine deficiencies are on file, including one at the harm level and one tied to abuse, and the quality measure rating lands at two stars, the clinical outcomes side doesn't match the care hours. Weekend coverage also drops about 25% below weekday levels, so ask how that gap gets covered.
Hillcrest Care Center is a 45-bed hospital-district home in Wray, and the numbers point in two directions at once. The clinical side looks strong: a 5/5 on quality measures and a 4/5 on health inspections, with the most recent survey in October 2024. But staffing tells a different story, 3.49 nurse hours per resident day sits about 10% under the national average, weekends run roughly 10% leaner than weekdays, and turnover hits 55% against a national 45.8%. Twenty deficiencies sit on the current record, including two at the harm level and one tied to abuse. The care delivered here scores well; whether there are consistently enough hands to deliver it is the open question.
Cheyenne Manor is a 39-bed county hospital district home in Cheyenne Wells, and its inspection record is the strongest thing going for it, a perfect health inspection rating, with the last visit in late October 2025. Only three deficiencies sit on the current record, none of them causing harm or jeopardy. One is abuse-related, which is worth asking about directly. Nurse staffing runs 3.94 hours per resident day, slightly ahead of the national average of 3.86, though weekends dip about 5% below weekdays, so coverage isn't perfectly even. Quality measures grade well at 4 out of 5. Small government-owned homes like this often live or die on who's on shift, so ask about weekend and evening coverage.
Washington County Nursing Home, the county-run home in Akron, runs on more nursing hours than most: 4.31 per resident day against a national average of 3.86. That's a real margin, and it's why CMS gives staffing top marks. It's not all upside. Inspectors wrote up 20 deficiencies, five at harm or jeopardy level and three tied to abuse, and one fine of $24,668 sits on the record. The last inspection was September 2024. Turnover of 42.6% is slightly better than average, and weekend staffing dips about 5% below weekdays, worth asking about if you visit mostly Saturdays.
Gunnison Valley Health Senior Care Center is city/county-owned and runs 50 certified beds. Nurse staffing comes in at 4.13 hours per resident day, roughly 7% above the national average, though weekend coverage drops about 12% below what the home staffs on weekdays. Staff turnover of 45.7% sits essentially at the national rate of 45.8%.
The inspection record is mixed. Its last inspection was January 29, 2026, and it holds eight deficiencies, two of them at the harm or jeopardy level, including one abuse-related citation, with three fines totaling $14,866. Quality measures score low, while staffing scores high. Families weighing this home should ask specifically how weekends are covered and what changed after the abuse finding.
Walbridge Memorial runs on a hospital district license with 30 beds, and its nurse staffing sits at 4.79 hours per resident day, roughly a quarter above the national average, which is the strongest thing in its file. The catch is consistency: weekends drop about 7% below weekday coverage, and the inspection record carries 24 deficiencies, four of them serious enough to put a resident in harm's way, plus one tied to abuse. The last state visit was in December 2025, so the picture is current. One fine of $29,981 has been levied. Good daily staffing can't offset a pattern of serious findings, which is why the quality measure score lands low.
Sedgwick County Memorial runs a county-owned 32-bed home in Julesburg, and its nurse staffing looks strong on paper, 4.43 hours per resident day, roughly 15% above the national average. That overall number hides a weekend gap of about 11% below its own weekday level, so coverage thins out when families tend to visit.
The inspection record is where the picture darkens. Fifteen deficiencies are on file, three of them serious enough to put residents at harm or jeopardy, and one tied to abuse. Its last inspection was September 2025. Federal star ratings sit at 3 for health inspections but just 1 for quality measures and 1 for staffing, which suggests the hours logged aren't translating into measured outcomes.
Walsh Healthcare Center is a 30-bed county hospital district home in far southeast Colorado, and the numbers suggest a place that runs lean. Its staffing score sits at the bottom of the federal scale, well below what CMS expects, and the quality measure score is also below average. That one-two combination matters more than the inspection history, which is actually its strongest area, 17 deficiencies on record, but none at the level where a resident was harmed or put in immediate jeopardy, and no abuse findings. The last inspection was recent, in October 2025. For a small rural home with government ownership, the real question is whether thin staffing is sustainable, not whether the care is unsafe. Ask about direct care hours per resident per day.
Colorado State Veterans Nursing Home - Rifle runs five stars' worth of nurse staffing, 4.12 hours per resident day, roughly 7% above the national average, but the state-run home has real problems elsewhere. Twenty-one deficiencies sit on its current record, four of them at the harm or jeopardy level, four tied to abuse, and the health inspection score came back 1 out of 5 from the last visit in November 2024. Staff turnover lands at 48.7%, a few points above the national figure, and the weekend crew runs about 15% thinner than weekdays, which matters if your family tends to visit on Saturdays and Sundays. One fine of $32,975 is on file. Strong bedside coverage alone doesn't offset that inspection history.
Bruce McCandless Co State Veterans Nursing Home runs on a state government license with 105 certified beds, and the staffing numbers are its one real strength, 3.77 nurse hours per resident day, close to the national average of 3.86, and a four-out-of-five CMS staffing rating. The problem is what happens when staff leave: turnover sits at 60% against a national 45.8%, and weekend coverage drops about 14% below weekday levels. On the record side, 20 deficiencies include four at harm or jeopardy level and two tied to abuse, with one fine of $81,520 and a 1-out-of-5 inspection rating from a January 2026 visit.
Spanish Peaks runs on a strong staffing engine, 4.68 nurse hours per resident day, about a fifth more than the national average, and it earns top marks from CMS on that measure. The catch is what inspections found: 24 deficiencies on the current record, including one serious enough to cause harm and three tied to abuse, which explains the two-star health inspection rating. Weekend coverage also dips roughly 14% below weekday levels, so care isn't perfectly even across the week. Staff turnover, at 44.3%, is slightly better than the national average, and the last inspection was in December 2024. Government hospital-district ownership means public accountability, but the inspection record is the real story here.
Bluestem Village is state-run, which puts it in a small category of Colorado nursing homes, most are for-profit chains or nonprofits. Its inspection record is clean: zero deficiencies of any kind on the current record, none at the harm level, and nothing abuse-related. The last full inspection was September 5, 2024, so the findings are recent enough to mean something. With 56 beds, it's a small home, the kind where a state surveyor can look at every resident chart in a day. One caveat worth knowing: the absence of problems in the record doesn't say anything about staffing hours or turnover, which are the numbers that usually predict day-to-day life. Ask about those directly.
Frequently asked questions
How many government-run nursing homes are there in Colorado?
There are 13 government-run Medicare-certified nursing homes in Colorado, 6% of the 210 nursing homes there.
Are government-run nursing homes better staffed?
In Colorado they average 4.25 total nursing hours per resident per day, against 3.72 for all nursing homes in Colorado, a difference of +0.53 hours. Staff turnover averages 45.3% against 47.1%.
Which government-run nursing home grades best in Colorado?