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A

89/100

Excellent

Watsonville Nursing Center

535 Auto Center Drive, Watsonville, CA 95076

CMS 4/5 stars #1 of 7 in Santa Cruz County (831) 724-7505
Certified beds
87
Occupancy
93%
Ownership
For-profit
Accepts
Medicare + Medicaid

Our read on Watsonville Nursing Center

Watsonville Nursing Center runs 87 certified beds under for-profit LLC ownership, and its nurse staffing sits at 3.97 hours per resident day, a bit above the national average of 3.86. Weekend coverage dips about 6% below its own weekday level, which is worth asking about if your family visits on Saturdays. The standout number is turnover: 27.1%, well under the national 45.8%, meaning the aides and nurses who'd be caring for your relative tend to stick around. Against that, the home carries 42 deficiencies, including one at the harm or jeopardy level and one tied to abuse, plus a $44,488 fine. Its last inspection was January 9, 2026.

Written from the CMS figures for this home shown further down this page. Nothing here is paid for or supplied by the home.

How this grade was calculated

Every point is shown. Nothing is weighted behind the scenes, the full formula is on How we grade.

Inspection30/30Staffing22/30Stability15/15Outcomes12/15Enforcement10/10

A full pentagon is full marks. The shape shows what kind of good or bad a home is, two homes can share a score and look nothing alike.

Inspection safety

30/30

Citations from state health inspections over the last three surveys, weighted by how much harm CMS says they caused.

  • →No citations recorded in the last 3 years

Staffing

22/30

Nursing hours per resident per day, adjusted for how sick the residents are, plus RN cover and weekend consistency.

  • →4.49 total nurse hours per resident per day (national median 3.77)
  • →0.39 RN hours per resident per day
  • →Weekend staffing drops 6% against weekdays

Staff stability

15/15

How much of the nursing team leaves in a year. High turnover means a resident rarely sees the same face twice.

  • →27% of nursing staff left in the last year

Resident outcomes

12/15

The CMS quality-measure rating, built from resident outcomes like falls, pressure ulcers, infections and antipsychotic use.

  • →4 of 5 stars on the CMS quality-measure rating

Enforcement history

10/10

Fines and payment denials CMS has imposed. A denial of payment means CMS stopped paying for new admissions.

  • →No federal fines on record

Staffing, against the national average

Full detail

Hours of nursing care each resident receives per day. The marker on each bar is the national average.

Total nurse hours per resident per day3.97 hrs
National average 3.86 hrsBetter than average
Registered nurse (RN) hours0.39 hrs
National average 0.69 hrsBelow average

RNs are the licence level most likely to catch a resident deteriorating.

Weekend nurse hours3.75 hrs
National average 3.42 hrsBetter than average

The shift most families visit, and the one thinned first.

Nursing staff turnover27.10%
National average 45.80%Better than average

The share of nursing staff who left over the last year.

Recent inspection findings

Last standard health inspection: January 9, 2026 (9 months ago). No citations were recorded.

No health-inspection citations on record for this facility in the current CMS release.

Who owns this home

Full record

Part of CAMBRIDGE HEALTHCARE SERVICES, which operates 32 homes. Staffing budgets are usually set at chain level, not in the building.

What families say

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Common questions about Watsonville Nursing Center

What is the ElderGrade for Watsonville Nursing Center? +

Watsonville Nursing Center holds an ElderGrade of A (89 out of 100), which we describe as "excellent". The grade combines its inspection citations, nurse staffing levels, staff turnover, resident outcomes and enforcement history from the federal CMS record.

How many nursing hours does each resident get at Watsonville Nursing Center? +

Residents receive an average of 3.97 nursing hours per day across all nursing staff, against a national average of 3.86 hours.

Has Watsonville Nursing Center been cited for harming residents? +

No. None of the 0 citations on record were scored at the levels CMS uses to indicate actual harm or immediate jeopardy.

Does Watsonville Nursing Center accept Medicaid? +

Yes, Watsonville Nursing Center is certified to accept Medicaid, which is the programme that pays for long-term custodial care once a resident meets their state's income and asset limits.