Kapaa, HI · Kauai County
★★★★★CMS 5/566 bedsGovernmentMedicaid
- Nurse hours
- 6.10 /day
- Staff turnover
- 8%
- Serious cites
- 0
Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital runs on unusually heavy staffing for a nursing home, 6.10 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 58 percent above the national figure. Just as telling is the turnover: 7.5 percent a year against a national average near 46 percent, meaning the people caring for residents largely stay put. Weekend coverage dips only slightly below weekdays, so families shouldn't expect a stark drop-off on Saturdays.
The trade-off sits in the inspection record. Eighteen deficiencies are logged, including one at the harm level and one abuse-related, though the most recent inspection in May 2026 suggests the state-run home is being watched closely. Strong staffing and consistent caregivers, with some compliance problems still on the books.
Waimea, HI · Kauai County
★★★★★CMS 5/520 bedsNon-profitMedicaid
- Nurse hours
- 4.85 /day
- Staff turnover
- 10%
- Serious cites
- 0
Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital is a small state-run home, 20 certified beds, where the caregiver hours per resident run about 26% above the national average, and staff turnover sits at 9.5% against a national 45.8%. That kind of retention is rare, and the quality measures score reflects it. The problem isn't the people; it's the building's history. Twenty-one deficiencies on the current record, two of them serious enough to put residents in harm's way, landed this home in CMS's Special Focus Facility program, and the inspection star tells the same story. Weekend staffing also dips about 11% below weekdays. One fine on record, $34,588. The last inspection was September 2024.
Lihue, HI · Kauai County
★★★★★CMS 5/5110 bedsFor-profitMedicaid
- Nurse hours
- 4.09 /day
- Staff turnover
- 32%
- Serious cites
- 0
Garden Isle Healthcare in Lihue runs on unusually steady staffing for a for-profit home: 4.09 nurse hours per resident day, about 6% above the national average, with weekend coverage dipping only 7% below weekdays. Turnover sits at 31.5% against a national 45.8%, which matters more than any single number here, it means fewer unfamiliar faces on the floor.
The tradeoff shows up in inspections. The current record carries 38 deficiencies, including two tied to abuse, though none rose to harm or jeopardy level, and the most recent survey was in February 2025. Ownership is a for-profit corporation, and CMS gives it 3 of 5 stars on health inspections but 5 of 5 on both quality measures and staffing. Read those together: strong day-to-day care, a longer paper trail of cited problems.
Koloa, HI · Kauai County
★★★★☆CMS 4/584 bedsFor-profitMedicaid
- Nurse hours
- 4.17 /day
- Staff turnover
- 30%
- Serious cites
- 0
Hale Kupuna Heritage Home runs on strong staffing, 4.17 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 8% above the national average, and that's the main reason it earns top marks on CMS's staffing measure. Turnover sits at 29.5%, well below the national 45.8%, so the people caring for residents tend to stay. The tradeoff shows up in its record: 25 deficiencies, including one at the harm level and three tied to abuse, plus a $16,350 fine. Weekend staffing also drops about 11% from weekday levels, which is worth asking about. Its last inspection was March 2026, so the picture is current.
Waimea, HI · Kauai County
★★★☆☆CMS 3/553 bedsFor-profitMedicaid
- Nurse hours
- 4.03 /day
- Staff turnover
- 46%
- Serious cites
- 0
Kauai Care Center sits in Waimea with 53 certified beds and for-profit individual ownership. Its 4.03 nurse hours per resident day run about 4% above the national average, though weekends dip roughly 13% below its own weekday staffing, so coverage isn't perfectly even across the week. Annual turnover of 45.5% lands almost exactly at the national figure of 45.8%. The current record shows 23 deficiencies, none at harm or jeopardy level, but one is abuse-related, and the last inspection was in April 2024. CMS gives it 3 stars for health inspections, 3 for quality measures, and 4 for staffing. The staffing is the strongest piece here; the inspection history is the part worth asking about directly.