Willow Ridge of NC
A nursing home in Rutherfordton, North Carolina 28139
237 Tryon Road, Rutherfordton, North Carolina 28139. (828) 286-7200.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 28, 2026.
- 2of 5 CMS’s overall rating
- 5 health citations at the latest inspection cycle North Carolina average: 4.6
- 3.57 nurse hours per resident per day North Carolina average: 3.87
- 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?
5 health citations at the latest inspection cycle
The North Carolina average is 4.6.
Last standard inspection Mar 19, 2026.
Most serious in three years: immediate jeopardy to health or safety (J), at a standard and complaint inspection on Feb 4, 2025
CMS, Provider Information, State and US Averages and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
When those citations happened
19 citations in 3 months of the last 36. Last cited Mar 2026. Most serious: immediate jeopardy to health or safety (J). 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 19 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. 10 came from complaint inspections.
CMS, Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
Mar 19, 2026: standard inspection4 citations
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Keep residents’ personal and medical records private and confidential.
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Coordinate assessments with the pre-admission screening and resident review program; and referring for services as needed.
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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 enough food/fluids to maintain a resident’s health.
Mar 19, 2026: standard and complaint inspection1 citation
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Provide appropriate foot care.
Feb 4, 2025: standard inspection5 citations
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Assess the resident completely in a timely manner when first admitted, and then periodically, at least every 12 months.
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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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Post nurse staffing information every day.
Feb 4, 2025: standard and complaint inspection7 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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Permit a resident to return to the nursing home after hospitalization or therapeutic leave that exceeds bed-hold policy.
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Give the resident’s representative the ability to exercise the resident’s rights.
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Reasonably accommodate the needs and preferences of each resident.
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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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Provide timely notification to the resident, and if applicable to the resident representative and ombudsman, before transfer or discharge, including appeal rights.
Jan 16, 2024: complaint inspection2 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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Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
Is it certified, and in good standing?
- Certified for Medicare and Medicaid since Mar 6, 1980.
- 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, corporation.
- 150 certified beds.
CMS, Provider Information. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
Has it been fined or penalized?
- 2 fines in the last three years, $14,524 in all.
- No Medicare payment denials in the last three years.
- 10 citations in the last three years came from complaint inspections.
CMS, Penalties and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Date | Kind | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 4, 2025 | Fine | $7,262 |
| Feb 4, 2025 | Fine | $7,262 |
Who does the caring?
3.57 nurse hours per resident per day
The North Carolina average is 3.87.
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 | North Carolina average |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse hours per resident per day | 3.57 | 3.87 |
| Of which registered nurses | 0.36 | 0.62 |
| At weekends | 3.11 | 3.40 |
| Nursing staff turnover | 63.4% | 48.7% |
| Registered nurse turnover | 50% | 45.7% |
| Administrators who left | 1 | Not given |
Who owns it?
- 6 owners or officers are people: Adam R Bealer (runs it (operational or managerial control), 100%); Jacob Stern (owns 5% or more directly, 100%); Jacob Stern (owns 5% or more through other companies, 100%); Jacob Stern (runs it (operational or managerial control), 100%); Jacob Stern (other role (CMS gives no detail), 100%); Thomas Neshek (other role (CMS gives no detail), 0%).
- Part of Cch Healthcare (33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cch Healthcare LLC | Owns 5% or more through other companies | 100% | Jun 1, 2016 |
| Forbright Bank | Holds 5% or more security interest | Jun 1, 2016 |
How do residents fare?
- CMS rates its quality measures 4 of 5 (North Carolina average 3.5).
CMS, Provider Information and State and US Averages. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Measure | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 2 of 5 |
| Health inspections | 2 of 5 |
| Staffing | 3 of 5 |
| Quality measures | 4 of 5 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Among the 12 nearest homes, within 22.8 miles, this one had the 3rd most health citations at the latest inspection cycle (5; the middle value was 2.5).
CMS, Provider Information. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Place | Miles away | Citations, latest cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Willow Ridge of NC This nursing home | 5 | |
| Oak Grove Healthcare | 1.1 | 1 |
| Hilltop Health and Rehabilitation | 4.1 | 2 |
| Fair Haven of Forest City, LLC | 6.0 | 3 |
| Fair Haven Home Inc. | 9.4 | 0 |
| Willowbrooke Court SC Ctr at Tryon Estates | 15.8 | 0 |
| White Oak Manor - Tryon | 18.4 | 9 |
| Deer Park Health and Rehabilitation | 20.5 | 5 |
| Golden Age Operations | 22.6 | 0 |
| Rosecrest Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center | 22.7 | 0 |
| Inman Healthcare | 22.7 | 12 |
| Autumn Care of Saluda | 22.8 | 3 |
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
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Paid listing
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