The Waters of Syracuse Skilled Nursing Facility
A nursing home in Syracuse, Indiana 46567
500 E Pickwick Dr, Syracuse, Indiana 46567. (574) 457-4401.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 28, 2026.
- 1of 5 CMS’s overall rating
- 9 health citations at the latest inspection cycle Indiana average: 7.2
- 3.42 nurse hours per resident per day Indiana average: 3.73
- 0 fines in the last three years
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean7
- Star ratings
- CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System.
- Inspection (survey)
- A visit by state inspectors, often unannounced, who check a place against the rules it must meet. For nursing homes and other places Medicare pays, CMS calls these visits surveys: a standard survey of a nursing home comes at least every 15 months, and a complaint survey whenever a complaint calls for one. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.308.
- Deficiency, citation, violation
- What inspectors write up when a place didn’t meet a rule: the rule, what they saw, and when. CMS calls it a deficiency; states may say citation or violation. It is the inspectors’ finding, not a court’s, and the place is usually asked for a plan to correct it. Source: CMS, statement of deficiencies (Form CMS-2567); each state’s licensing agency.
- Scope and severity (A to L)
- CMS grades each nursing home deficiency with a letter. A to C: no actual harm, with potential for minimal harm. D to F: no actual harm, but potential for more. G to I: actual harm. J to L: immediate jeopardy. Within each band, the letter rises as more residents were affected or could be: one or a few, a pattern, or widespread. Source: CMS, nursing home scope and severity grid (State Operations Manual, chapter 7).
- Nurse staffing hours
- The hours registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse aides worked, per resident per day, from the payroll records each home sends CMS. Source: CMS, Payroll-Based Journal.
- Fines and payment denials
- A fine (civil money penalty) is money CMS makes a nursing home pay when it falls short of federal rules. A payment denial means Medicare and Medicaid stop paying for new admissions until the home meets the rules again. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.430 and 488.417.
- Capacity
- The most people the licence or certification lets the place care for at once: residents, children, beds or apartments, as the state counts them. It isn’t how many are there now. Source: Each state’s licensing agency.
What did inspectors find?
9 health citations at the latest inspection cycle
The Indiana average is 7.2.
Last standard inspection May 21, 2026.
Most serious in three years: actual harm (G), at a standard inspection on May 21, 2026
CMS, Provider Information, State and US Averages and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
When those citations happened
34 citations in 3 months of the last 36. Last cited May 2026. Most serious: actual harm (G). The last 3 years, to Nov 5, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dec | |||||||||||
| 2024 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2025 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
Hover or focus a month to read it.
Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.
All 34 citations in the last three years
Grouped by inspection, newest first. Each carries CMS grades each nursing home deficiency with a letter. A to C: no actual harm, with potential for minimal harm. D to F: no actual harm, but potential for more. G to I: actual harm. J to L: immediate jeopardy. Within each band, the letter rises as more residents were affected or could be: one or a few, a pattern, or widespread. Source: CMS, nursing home scope and severity grid (State Operations Manual, chapter 7)., from A, the least serious, to L, the most.
CMS, Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
May 21, 2026: standard inspection9 citations
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Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
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Reasonably accommodate the needs and preferences of each resident.
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Immediately tell the resident, the resident’s doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.
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Prevent the use of unnecessary psychotropic medications or use medications that may restrain a resident’s ability to function.
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Ensure that nurses and nurse aides have the appropriate competencies to care for every resident in a way that maximizes each resident’s well being.
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Ensure each resident’s drug regimen must be free from unnecessary drugs.
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Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.
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Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
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Make sure there is a pest control program to prevent/deal with mice, insects, or other pests.
Jan 10, 2025: standard inspection17 citations
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Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
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Honor the resident’s right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
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Give residents notice of Medicaid/Medicare coverage and potential liability for services not covered.
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PASARR screening for Mental disorders or Intellectual Disabilities
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Create and put into place a plan for meeting the resident’s most immediate needs within 48 hours of being admitted
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Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident’s needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
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Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
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Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
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Provide enough food/fluids to maintain a resident’s health.
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Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
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Provide safe, appropriate pain management for a resident who requires such services.
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Provide safe, appropriate dialysis care/services for a resident who requires such services.
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Ensure each resident’s drug regimen must be free from unnecessary drugs.
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Implement gradual dose reductions(GDR) and non-pharmacological interventions, unless contraindicated, prior to initiating or instead of continuing psychotropic medication; and PRN orders for psychotropic medications are only used when the medication is necessary and PRN use is limited.
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Ensure food and drink is palatable, attractive, and at a safe and appetizing temperature.
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Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
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Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Feb 9, 2024: standard inspection8 citations
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Give residents notice of Medicaid/Medicare coverage and potential liability for services not covered.
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Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident’s needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
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Provide activities to meet all resident’s needs.
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Provide appropriate care for a resident to maintain and/or improve range of motion (ROM), limited ROM and/or mobility, unless a decline is for a medical reason.
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Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
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Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
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Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.
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Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Is it certified, and in good standing?
- Certified for Medicare and Medicaid since Oct 1, 1996.
- Not on CMS’s special focus list.
- No abuse icon from CMS.
- No change of ownership in the last 12 months.
- CMS lists its ownership as for profit, limited liability company.
- 66 certified beds.
CMS, Provider Information. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
Has it been fined or penalized?
- No fines in the last three years.
- 1 Medicare payment denial in the last three years.
- 0 citations in the last three years came from complaint inspections.
CMS, Penalties and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Date | What | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 10, 2025 | Medicare payment denial |
Who does the caring?
3.42 nurse hours per resident per day
The Indiana average is 3.73.
CMS publishes staffing about four months after the fact.
CMS, Provider Information and State and US Averages. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Measure | This home | Indiana average |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse hours per resident per day | 3.42 | 3.73 |
| Of which registered nurses | 0.45 | 0.68 |
| At weekends | 3.00 | 3.26 |
| Nursing staff turnover | 57.4% | 45.9% |
| Registered nurse turnover | 83.3% | 40.5% |
| Administrators who left | 0 | Not given |
Who owns it?
- Johnson Memorial Hospital owns 100% directly since Mar 1, 2013.
- The Waters of Syracuse Skilled Nursing Facility LLC runs it.
- 8 owners or officers are people: Carolyn Vance (managing employee (under contract), 100%); David H Dunkle (corporate officer); David H Dunkle (corporate director); David H Dunkle (runs it (operational or managerial control)); Steven Berkhouse (corporate officer); Steven Berkhouse (corporate director); Nathan Jackson (managing employee (under contract)); Robert J Decola (managing employee (on the payroll)).
- Part of Infinity Healthcare Consulting (70 homes in CMS’s data).
- No private-equity firm among the owners CMS lists.
- No real-estate investment trust among the owners CMS lists.
CMS, All Owners. Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly.
CMS, Provider Information. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Organisation | Role | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Waters of Syracuse Skilled Nursing Facility LLC | Runs it (operational or managerial control) | 100% | Nov 1, 2022 |
| Johnson Memorial Hospital | Owns 5% or more directly | 100% | Mar 1, 2013 |
How do residents fare?
- CMS rates its quality measures 4 of 5 (Indiana average 4.3).
CMS, Provider Information and State and US Averages. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Measure | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 1 of 5 |
| Health inspections | 1 of 5 |
| Staffing | 1 of 5 |
| Quality measures | 4 of 5 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Among the 12 nearest homes, within 17.0 miles, this one had the 6th most health citations at the latest inspection cycle (9; the middle value was 7).
CMS, Provider Information. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Place | Miles away | Citations, latest cycle |
|---|---|---|
| The Waters of Syracuse Skilled Nursing Facility This nursing home | 9 | |
| Avalon Village | 7.6 | 1 |
| Waterford Crossing | 9.6 | 2 |
| Greencroft Healthcare | 10.8 | 17 |
| Majestic Care of Goshen | 10.8 | 25 |
| The Restoracy of Goshen | 12.1 | 5 |
| Mason Health Care Center | 12.4 | 13 |
| Paddock Springs | 13.6 | 0 |
| Grace Village Health Care Facility | 13.6 | 2 |
| Warsaw Meadows | 13.9 | 13 |
| Miller’s Merry Manor | 14.9 | 5 |
| The Waters of Wakarusa Skilled Nursing Facility | 17.0 | 12 |
What the record doesn’t say
- Complaints that didn’t lead to a citation aren’t published.
- Inspections reach CMS’s data about six weeks after they happen, and staffing about four months after.
- CMS publishes the inspectors’ full written findings in a separate monthly file, which isn’t loaded yet.
- Fines and Medicare payment denials are the only enforcement CMS publishes; state licence actions aren’t included.
Sources
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Provider Information (4pq5-n9py).
Released Oct 28, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health Deficiencies (r5ix-sfxw).
Released Oct 28, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Penalties (g6vv-u9sr).
Released Oct 28, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, All Owners (afe44b85-cc6d-40d7-b5df-00ae8910d1d2).
Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, State and US Averages (xcdc-v8bm).
Released Oct 28, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: CMS. CMS’s own record is on Care Compare. If Hearth Record copied something wrongly, it will fix it and log the correction publicly, with its date: how corrections work.
This copy of the record was made on Nov 5, 2026.
From the home
The public record above comes first. Anything the home adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.
Replies
None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the home will be able to answer any finding for free, and the reply will show beside that finding, unedited and dated.
Paid listing
None. Paid listings aren’t open yet. When they open, anything paid for will say “Paid by the home”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.