19 of the 68 Medicare-certified nursing homes in New Mexico (28%) are independently owned, and all are listed below. They average 3.82 nursing hours per resident per day, 0.28 hours above the 3.54 for every home in New Mexico. 2 of the 19 graded homes earn an A and 1 earn a D or F. Miners Colfax Medical Center in Raton grades highest at A (96 out of 100).
How independently owned homes in New Mexico compare
This group set against every nursing home in New Mexico, from the current CMS release.
Nursing hours per resident per day
3.82
All homes in New Mexico: 3.54
Better than the local average
Nurse staff turnover
53.9%
All homes in New Mexico: 53.3%
Worse than the local average
Average ElderGrade score
71.8/100
All homes in New Mexico: 69.8/100
Better than the local average
Grade spread
A
B
C
2 grade A, 8 grade B, 8 grade C, 1 grade D,
The best-graded independently owned home in New Mexico is
Miners Colfax Medical Center
in Raton, NM, grade A, 96/100.
Every independently owned nursing home in New Mexico
Miners Colfax Medical Center is a state-run home in Raton with 37 certified beds, and the numbers behind its record are worth walking through. Nurse staffing sits at 4.66 hours per resident day, about 21 percent above the national average, though weekend coverage drops roughly 11 percent below what the home provides on weekdays, so ask how that gap gets handled. Staff turnover of 44.4 percent is essentially in line with the national rate. Inspectors cited 16 deficiencies on the current record, none at the harm or jeopardy level and none abuse-related, with the most recent inspection completed in May 2025.
The Nm Behavioral Health Institute At Las Vegas runs on state government ownership and 176 certified beds, and its staffing picture is genuinely strong: 4.08 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 6% above the national average, with weekend coverage dipping only about 6% below its own weekday level. Staff turnover sits at 25.4%, well under the 45.8% national figure, which matters for consistency of care. What pulls it down is the inspection record, 26 deficiencies, one at harm or jeopardy level and two tied to abuse, plus a single $18,353 fine. The most recent inspection was December 12, 2025, so that record is current, not stale.
Northgate Unit of Lakeview Christian Home runs on staffing numbers that sit just under the national mark, 3.81 nurse hours per resident day against 3.86, so families should know the difference is small on paper but shows up on weekends, when coverage drops roughly 18% below the home's own weekday level. The inspection record is the stronger story: 30 deficiencies on file, none reaching harm or jeopardy, with one tied to abuse, and the most recent state visit came in April 2025. Annual turnover at 50% runs above the 45.8% national average, meaning a good share of the people caring for your relative will be new each year. Nonprofit ownership, and 4/5 stars across health inspections, quality measures, and staffing.
Retirement Ranches runs a nonprofit home in Clovis with 104 certified beds, and the staffing picture is genuinely strong, 4.23 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 10% above the national average, with turnover at 39.8% versus 45.8% nationally. Weekend coverage dips about 13% below its own weekday level, so ask how that plays out on Sundays. Inspections in November 2025 landed at 4 stars, and quality measures also sit at 4. The catch is the record underneath: 15 deficiencies, one serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, and 12 fines totaling $69,046. Good staffing and recent inspections, but a paper trail worth reading closely before you decide.
Fort Bayard Medical Center is state-run and staffed far above the national average, 6.27 nurse hours per resident day against 3.86 nationally. Turnover sits at 33.1%, also better than the 45.8% typical elsewhere. Those numbers are real, and they matter.
The trouble is on the inspection side. Forty-eight deficiencies on the current record, including two at the harm or jeopardy level and five tied to abuse. One fine, $83,501. The last full inspection was August 2024, so nothing here is stale.
Weekend staffing drops roughly 19% below the home's own weekday level, which is worth asking about directly. Plenty of hands, comparatively stable ones, but a documented pattern of serious problems the state has had to write up.
Calibre Post Acute runs 120 certified beds in Las Cruces, and the staffing numbers tell a big part of the story: 3.72 nurse hours per resident day, about 4% under the national average, with weekends roughly 13% thinner than weekdays. Annual turnover sits at 52.7% against a 45.8% national figure, more than half the nursing staff leaving each year.
The inspection record is where things get serious. There are 91 deficiencies, two of them at harm or jeopardy level, and eight tied to abuse. CMS has placed this home in its Special Focus Facility program, which is reserved for the poorest performers. A 2024-11-06 inspection is recent, and the last inspection date is recent.
Mescalero Care Center runs 40 certified beds as a nonprofit, and its weakest spot in the federal data is staffing, which sits at one out of five stars. That rating reflects daily direct-care hours per resident well below the national average, and it matters more than the quality measure score, which lands in the middle at three stars. The inspection record shows 62 deficiencies, four tied to abuse, though none rose to the level of actual harm or jeopardy. State surveyors were last inside on May 19, 2025, so the picture is current. Small homes can struggle to keep enough aides on the floor, and the numbers here suggest that's the pressure point.
Cedar Ridge Inn is a for-profit limited liability company in Farmington with 101 certified beds, and its recent inspection history is the strongest thing it has going. The last survey was in February 2025, and the health inspection rating comes in at 4 out of 5 stars. The catch is staffing: 3.14 nurse hours per resident day runs about 19% under the national average of 3.86, and weekends dip roughly 10% below the home's own weekday levels. Turnover at 40.9% is actually better than the 45.8% national figure, which suggests some stability. But 29 deficiencies sit on the current record, two of them serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, and the two fines total $35,406.
Princeton Health & Rehabilitation runs 369 certified beds under corporate ownership, and its staffing sits at 3.61 nurse hours per resident day, about 6% under the national average, with weekends roughly 10% thinner than weekdays. Turnover lands at 45.4%, essentially matching the national rate, so retention isn't the standout problem here. The inspection record is. Fifty-three deficiencies, including two at harm or jeopardy level and seven tied to abuse, plus two fines totaling $154,457, with the most recent inspection in July 2025. Quality and staffing measure stars look decent on paper, but the survey history is what a family should ask about directly before deciding.
South Valley Care Center is a 58-bed for-profit home in Albuquerque, and its inspection record is genuinely strong, a five-star health inspection rating, with its most recent survey in July 2025 and no deficiencies at the harm or jeopardy level. The one abuse-related citation on file is worth asking about directly. Staffing is where the picture shifts: 3.33 nurse hours per resident day sits about 14 percent under the national average, and turnover runs at 67.9 percent against a national 45.8. That means nearly seven in ten staff left over the year, so the people caring for your family member may keep changing. Weekend coverage holds roughly level with weekdays, which is better than many homes manage.
La Vida Llena runs a nonprofit home with 50 certified beds in Albuquerque, and its nurses put in 4.15 hours per resident day, about 7% more than the national average. That cushion thins on weekends, when staffing drops roughly 17% below its own weekday levels. Annual turnover sits at 64.2%, well above the 45.8% national figure, so the people delivering that care keep changing. Inspectors visited in December 2025 and logged 21 deficiencies, none at the harm level but two tied to abuse. The federal quality measures come in at 1 out of 5 stars even as inspections earn 4.
Luna Wellness Rehabilitation runs 3.14 nurse hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and weekends drop about 13% below its own weekday staffing. That thin coverage sits behind a one-star CMS staffing rating, and the inspection record backs it up: 58 deficiencies, including two at the harm or jeopardy level and seven tied to abuse, with $66,876 in fines across two penalties. The five-star quality measure score looks better on paper, but quality measures reflect resident assessments, not how many hands are available when someone needs help. For-profit operation under a limited liability company, last inspected April 2025. Ask about weekend coverage and the abuse-related findings before deciding.
The New Mexico State Veterans Home in Truth Or Consequences runs 6.02 nursing hours per resident day, roughly 56% above the national average of 3.86, and weekend coverage stays within about 9% of weekday levels. That staffing cushion is doing real work, because the rest of the record is heavy: 65 deficiencies, 7 of them at harm or jeopardy level, 2 abuse-related, plus an $44,226 fine. Annual turnover hits 84.1% against a national 45.8%, meaning most of the people providing that generous staffing are new or on their way out. The last inspection was 2024-12-27, so the picture is current. Strong hours, unsettled workforce, and a long enforcement history, that combination is what drives the low overall grade.
Artesia Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center runs 65 certified beds under corporate for-profit ownership, and its nurse staffing sits at 3.24 hours per resident day, roughly 16 percent under the national average of 3.86. Weekends get thinner still, about 22 percent below the home's own weekday coverage, which matters most when families visit and when residents need hands-on help. Turnover is 34 percent, better than the 45.8 percent national figure, so the crew that is there tends to stay. Against that, the record shows 50 deficiencies, four tied to abuse, none flagged at harm or jeopardy level, with the most recent inspection dated February 26, 2026. Quality measures score low; staffing and inspections sit mid-range.
The Neighborhood In Rio Rancho runs a nonprofit shop with 72 beds, and the raw nursing hours look generous, 4.83 per resident day against a national average of 3.86, roughly a quarter more hands-on time than most homes. But look at who's providing it: annual turnover sits at 82.3%, nearly double the national figure, and weekend coverage drops about 9% below weekday levels, so that staffing edge is fragile in practice.
The inspection record is where things get concerning. Thirty-eight deficiencies on the current record, including one at the harm or jeopardy level and four tied to abuse. A 2-out-of-5 inspection rating and a November 2025 survey date back that up.
Laguna Rainbow runs on a nonprofit model in Casa Blanca, and its nurse staffing sits about 19% above the national average, a real edge, with 4.61 hours per resident day. But look closer and the picture splits: weekends run roughly a fifth thinner than weekdays, and turnover hits 70.2%, well past the 45.8% national mark. That churn matters more than the headcount suggests. The inspection record is the heavier concern, 38 deficiencies, six tied to abuse and one serious enough to reach harm or jeopardy, plus a $24,570 fine. The last survey was March 2026. Strong quality scores and steady weekday coverage sit alongside a staffing pattern that thins on weekends and a workforce that keeps turning over.
Colfax General Ltc runs 34 beds in Springer under for-profit partnership ownership, and its recent inspection history is genuinely strong, a 4-out-of-5 health inspection rating with a survey completed in January 2025. The staffing picture is where it gets harder to feel good about. At 2.60 nurse hours per resident day, this home sits roughly a third below the national average of 3.86, and weekends drop about 19% below its own weekday coverage. Annual turnover of 67.9% is well above the 45.8% national figure. Twenty-six deficiencies sit on the current record, three at harm or jeopardy level and three abuse-related.
Santa Fe Care Center reports 0.30 total nurse staffing hours per resident per day. The national average is 3.86, so this home is running at roughly a twelfth of typical staffing. Its weekend numbers are about 1% above its own weekday level, which tells you the shortfall isn't a weekend problem, it's every day.
The inspection record backs that up: 57 deficiencies, 5 of them at the level where harm or jeopardy was possible, and 2 tied to abuse. The last inspection was July 2024. Two fines total $25,562. For-profit corporate ownership, 120 certified beds. A 1-star staffing rating and a 2-star health inspection rating mean the federal data is flagging the same thing the numbers above show.
Spring River runs on 2.95 nursing hours per resident per day, roughly a quarter below the national average, and weekends drop another 13 percent below its own weekday levels. That thin coverage shows up in the inspection record: 67 deficiencies, three tied to abuse and two serious enough to put residents in harm's way, plus $111,643 in federal fines. Staff turnover sits at 60.5 percent against a national 45.8 percent, so the people providing care keep changing. CMS has placed the home in its Special Focus Facility program, reserved for the country's most persistently troubled nursing homes. The most recent inspection was December 12, 2024.
Frequently asked questions
How many independently owned nursing homes are there in New Mexico?
There are 19 independently owned Medicare-certified nursing homes in New Mexico, 28% of the 68 nursing homes there.
Are independently owned nursing homes better staffed?
In New Mexico they average 3.82 total nursing hours per resident per day, against 3.54 for all nursing homes in New Mexico, a difference of +0.28 hours. Staff turnover averages 53.9% against 53.3%.
Which independently owned nursing home grades best in New Mexico?