Brandon Woods of New Bedford
A nursing home in New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740
397 County Street, New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740. (508) 997-9396.
- A candidate for CMS’s special focus list
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CMS’s own record is on Care Compare.
The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 28, 2026.
- 1of 5 CMS’s overall rating
- 13 health citations at the latest inspection cycle Massachusetts average: 6.4
- 4.09 nurse hours per resident per day Massachusetts average: 3.94
- 2 fines in the last three years (needs attention)
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean8
- 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.
- Immediate jeopardy
- CMS’s most serious finding: the place’s failure to meet a rule caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment or death to someone in its care. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 489.3.
- 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?
13 health citations at the latest inspection cycle
The Massachusetts average is 6.4.
Last standard inspection Mar 27, 2026.
Most serious in three years: immediate jeopardy to health or safety (K), at a standard inspection on Dec 16, 2024
CMS, Provider Information, State and US Averages and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
When those citations happened
59 citations in 5 months of the last 36. Last cited Jul 2026. Most serious: immediate jeopardy to health or safety (K). 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 59 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. 3 came from complaint inspections.
CMS, Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
Jul 7, 2026: complaint inspection1 citation
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Develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft.
Mar 27, 2026: standard inspection12 citations
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Ensure the transfer/discharge meets the resident’s needs/preferences and that the resident is prepared for a safe transfer/discharge.
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Give the resident’s representative the ability to exercise the resident’s rights.
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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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Provide the required documentation or notification related to the resident’s needs, appeal rights, or bed-hold policies.
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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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Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
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Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
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Provide appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing.
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Provide care or services that was trauma informed and/or culturally competent.
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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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Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
Sep 16, 2025: complaint inspection1 citation
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Develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft.
Jun 12, 2025: complaint inspection1 citation
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Develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft.
Dec 16, 2024: standard inspection44 citations
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Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
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Ensure each resident must receive and the facility must provide necessary behavioral health care and services.
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Ensure that the facility has sufficient staff members who possess the competencies and skills to meet the behavioral health needs of residents.
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Develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft.
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Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
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Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
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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 appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing.
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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 the resident’s representative the ability to exercise the resident’s rights.
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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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Protect each resident from separation (from other residents, his/her room, or confinement to his/her room).
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Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
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Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
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Ensure necessary information is communicated to the resident, and receiving health care provider at the time of a planned discharge.
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Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
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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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Ensure the resident’s doctor reviews the resident’s care, writes, signs and dates progress notes and orders, at each required visit.
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Ensure that the resident and his/her doctor meet face-to-face at all required visits.
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Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
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Provide the appropriate treatment and services to a resident who displays or is diagnosed with dementia.
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Ensure a licensed pharmacist perform a monthly drug regimen review, including the medical chart, following irregularity reporting guidelines in developed policies and procedures.
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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 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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Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
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Conduct and document a facility-wide assessment to determine what resources are necessary to care for residents competently during both day-to-day operations (including nights and weekends) and emergencies.
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Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
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Inform resident or representatives choice to enter into binding arbitration agreement and right to refuse.
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Provide a neutral and fair arbitration process and agree to arbitrator and venue.
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Have a plan that describes the process for conducting QAPI and QAA activities.
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Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
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Implement a program that monitors antibiotic use.
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Develop, implement, and/or maintain an effective training program that includes effective communications for direct care staff members.
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Ensure that staff members are educated on resident rights and facility responsibilities to properly care for its residents.
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Give their staff education on dementia care, and what abuse, neglect, and exploitation are; and how to report abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
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Conduct mandatory training, for all staff, on the facility’s Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement Program.
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Include as part of its infection prevention and control program, mandatory training that includes written standards, policies, and procedures for the program.
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Provide training in compliance and ethics.
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Ensure nurse aides have the skills they need to care for residents, and give nurse aides education in dementia care and abuse prevention.
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Provide behavior health training consistent with the requirements and as determined by a facility assessment.
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Give residents notice of Medicaid/Medicare coverage and potential liability for services not covered.
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Provide timely notification to the resident, and if applicable to the resident representative and ombudsman, before transfer or discharge, including appeal rights.
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Post nurse staffing information every day.
Is it certified, and in good standing?
- Certified for Medicare and Medicaid since Aug 1, 1980.
- A candidate for CMS’s special focus list, which CMS keeps for homes with a history of serious problems.
- No abuse icon from CMS.
- No change of ownership in the last 12 months.
- CMS lists its ownership as for profit, corporation.
- 135 certified beds.
CMS, Provider Information. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
Has it been fined or penalized?
- 2 fines in the last three years, $528,970 in all.
- No Medicare payment denials in the last three years.
- 3 citations in the last three years came from complaint inspections.
CMS, Penalties and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Date | Kind | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2026 | Fine | $64,480 |
| Dec 16, 2024 | Fine | $464,490 |
Who does the caring?
4.09 nurse hours per resident per day
The Massachusetts average is 3.94.
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 | Massachusetts average |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse hours per resident per day | 4.09 | 3.94 |
| Of which registered nurses | 0.29 | 0.66 |
| At weekends | 3.58 | 3.52 |
| Nursing staff turnover | 46.1% | 37.6% |
| Registered nurse turnover | 60% | 42.7% |
| Administrators who left | 0 | Not given |
Who owns it?
- Essex Group Incorporated owns 100% directly since May 15, 1973.
- 17 owners or officers are people: Frank C Romano (owns 5% or more through other companies, 43.74%); Frank C Romano (corporate officer, 43.74%); Frank C Romano (corporate director, 43.74%); Kyle Romano (owns 5% or more through other companies, 11.72%); Brandon Romano (owns 5% or more through other companies, 11.72%); Katelyn Romano (owns 5% or more through other companies, 11.72%); James Romano (owns 5% or more through other companies, 11.72%); Philip Doyle (owns 5% or more through other companies, 9.38%); Katelyn Romano (corporate officer); Katelyn Romano (runs it (operational or managerial control)); Katelyn Romano (additional disclosable party (controls, leases property to, or provides services to the home)); Ricot Octave (runs it (operational or managerial control)); Ricot Octave (additional disclosable party (controls, leases property to, or provides services to the home)); Frank C Romano (runs it (operational or managerial control)); Frank C Romano (additional disclosable party (controls, leases property to, or provides services to the home)); Julianne H Hetzler (runs it (operational or managerial control)); Julianne H Hetzler (additional disclosable party (controls, leases property to, or provides services to the home)).
- Part of Elder Services (6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex Group Incorporated | Owns 5% or more directly | 100% | May 15, 1973 |
How do residents fare?
- CMS rates its quality measures 1 of 5 (Massachusetts average 3.3).
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 | 3 of 5 |
| Quality measures | 1 of 5 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Among the 12 nearest homes, within 11.6 miles, this one had the 1st most health citations at the latest inspection cycle (13; the middle value was 6).
CMS, Provider Information. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Place | Miles away | Citations, latest cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Brandon Woods of New Bedford This nursing home | 13 | |
| Vantage Health & Rehab of New Bedford | 0.6 | 11 |
| Sacred Heart Nursing Home | 1.2 | 3 |
| Brandon Woods of Dartmouth | 1.4 | 9 |
| Royal Fairhaven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center | 1.5 | 0 |
| Our Ladys Haven of Fairhaven Inc. | 1.5 | 5 |
| Hathaway Manor Extended Care | 2.3 | 10 |
| Alden Court Nursing Care & Rehabilitation Center | 2.7 | 2 |
| Care One at New Bedford | 4.8 | 7 |
| The Oaks | 7.6 | 2 |
| Sippican Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center | 9.9 | 4 |
| The Grove at Carvalho | 11.6 | 9 |
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
-
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.