Every Medicare-certified nursing home in New Jersey, graded on inspections, staffing, turnover
and enforcement history.
12 homes in the state sit in the federal Special Focus programme.
Manahawkin Health and Rehabilitation Center runs a 120-bed for-profit operation, and the staffing numbers tell a story worth sitting with. At 2.81 nurse hours per resident day, it sits roughly 27% under the national average of 3.86, and weekends drop another 12% below its own weekday level, so the thinnest coverage lands when families tend to visit. Turnover at 51.3% tops the national figure, and the inspection record shows 51 deficiencies, four at harm or jeopardy level, with two tied to abuse. Federal fines total $297,722, and CMS has placed the home in its Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for the poorest performers. The most recent inspection was December 2024.
Sinai Post-Acute runs 430 beds in Newark, and its nursing hours come in at 2.79 per resident day, roughly 28% under the national average of 3.86. Weekends are thinner still, about 7% below its own weekday levels, so the coverage gap families notice on a Saturday isn't imagined. The inspection record is where the real trouble sits: 44 deficiencies, six of them serious enough to put residents in harm's way, two tied to abuse, and a single $329,910 fine. Last inspection was June 2025. Turnover at 33.6% is actually better than the 45.8% national figure, which tells you staff aren't fleeing, but with that many problems on the books, ask hard questions before choosing it.
Whiting Gardens runs 200 beds, and its recent inspection history is the part that worries me most. Forty deficiencies on the current record, ten of them serious enough to involve actual harm or jeopardy, plus five tied to abuse, that pattern is why CMS has placed it in the Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for the homes with the most persistent problems. Nurse staffing sits at 3.09 hours per resident day, roughly a fifth below the national average, and weekends drop another 11 percent below its own weekdays, so coverage thins exactly when families tend to visit. Turnover at 43.7 percent is slightly better than average, but four fines totaling $235,564 tell you the state has been watching closely.
The Fountains of Atco reports 7.70 nurse hours per resident day, roughly double the national average of 3.86, but that staffing number comes with real caveats. Weekend coverage drops about 10% below weekday levels, and CMS still rates staffing just 2 out of 5, with an inspection record of 1 out of 5 behind it. That record includes 34 deficiencies, two at harm or jeopardy level and two abuse-related, plus $153,458 in fines across two penalties. The quality measure score sits at 4 out of 5, which reflects resident health outcomes rather than the home's compliance history. CMS has placed this for-profit, individually owned 60-bed home in its Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for homes with a persistent pattern of serious problems.
Trenton Gardens is a 215-bed for-profit home in Mercer County, and the number that should stop you is 47 deficiencies on its current record, 7 of them serious enough to put residents in harm's way, 3 tied to abuse. That's why CMS has it in the Special Focus Facility program, the agency's watch list for the homes with the worst sustained records, and why it carries $325,922 in fines. Nurse staffing runs 3.27 hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and weekends drop about 11% below its own weekday levels. Turnover at 36% is actually better than the 45.8% national figure, so the problem isn't retention, it's what's happening on the floor.
Homestead Rehabilitation runs a for-profit partnership home in Newton with 128 certified beds, and the staffing picture is genuinely mixed. Total nurse coverage sits at 4.16 hours per resident day, about 8% above the national average, and turnover of 30.2% beats the national 45.8%, those are real positives. But weekends run roughly 14% leaner than weekdays, and the inspection record is where things fall apart: 40 deficiencies, two at harm or jeopardy level, one abuse-related, $111,754 in fines, and a spot in CMS's Special Focus Facility program. A 2025 inspection is recent, so this isn't stale data. Strong quality scores don't offset a harm-level citation and active federal monitoring.
Allaire Rehab & Nursing has the kind of staffing numbers most homes would envy, 4.87 nurse hours per resident day, well above the national average, but the inspection record tells a different story. Over 33 deficiencies, nine of them involving actual harm or jeopardy, five tied to abuse, and $198,526 in fines have landed this Freehold home in CMS's Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for the country's most persistently troubled nursing homes. Weekend staffing drops roughly 19% below weekday levels, and 50.8% of nursing staff turned over in a year, so the coverage on paper may not be what your family member experiences on a Saturday. The most recent inspection was November 2024.
The staffing numbers at this Piscataway home look decent on paper, 3.94 nurse hours per resident day, a bit above the national average, but weekends drop about 9% below weekday coverage, and a 1-out-of-5 inspection rating tells you the care isn't matching the payroll. Thirty-seven deficiencies sit on the current record, four of them serious enough to put residents in harm's way and five tied to abuse. CMS has placed it in the Special Focus Facility program, reserved for the country's poorest performers, and the most recent inspection was in December 2024. Ownership is for-profit, through a limited liability company. Staff turnover, at 41.9%, is actually slightly better than average, the problem here isn't retention, it's what's happening on the floor.