17 CT Nursing Homes Make 2023 U.S. News 'Best' List

CONNECTICUT — Seventeen Connecticut nursing homes received a 5 — the highest possible rating — this year in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rating.

The rankings service rated more than 15,000 nursing homes in the country based on patient and resident outcomes, such as infection rates; staffing levels; reliance on antipsychotic drugs; health inspection results, and other quality indicators.

Here are the nursing homes that received an overall rating of 5 for 2024 in Connecticut:

• Westview Health Care Center - Dayville
• St. Mary Home, West Hartford
• Bishop Wicke Health & Rehabilitation Center, Shelton
• Portland Care & Rehabilitation Center, Portland
• McLean Health Center, Simsbury
• River Glen Health Care Center, Southbury
• St. Joseph's Residence, Enfield
• Fairview, Groton
• Whitney Center, Hamden
• Caleb Hitchcock Health Care Center, Bloomfield
• Pilgrim Manor - Cromwell
• Southington Care Center, Southington
• Evergreen Woods - North Branford
• Bride Brook Health & Rehabilitation Center, Niantic
• Ridge Crest at Meadow Ridge, West Redding
• Avalon Health Care Center at Stoneridge, Mystic
• The Springs at Watermark 3030 Park, Bridgeport

In Connecticut, 34 nursing homes were recognized as “high performing” for short stays, and 20 received the recognition for long stays.

High-Performing for Short Stays:

• Westview Health Care Center – Dayville
• St. Mary Home, West Hartford
• Bishop Wicke Health & Rehabilitation Center, Shelton
• Portland Care & Rehabilitation Center, Portland
• McLean Health Center, Simsbury
• River Glen Health Care Center, Southbury
• Fairview, Groton
• Whitney Center, Hamden
• Caleb Hitchcock Health Care Center, Bloomfield
• Pilgrim Manor – Cromwell
• Southington Care Center, Southington
• Evergreen Woods - North Branford
• Bride Brook Health & Rehabilitation Center, Niantic
• Ridge Crest at Meadow Ridge, West Redding
• Avalon Health Care Center at Stoneridge, Mystic
• The Springs at Watermark 3030 Park, Bridgeport
• Carolton Chronic & Convalescent Hospital, Fairfield
• Milford Health Care Center, Milford
• Noble Horizons, Salisbury
• Whitney Rehabilitation Care Center, Hamden
• Grimes Center, New Haven
• Jefferson House, Newington
• Whispering Pines Rehabilitation & Nursing Center - East Haven
• Glastonbury Health Care Center, Glastonbury
• Pomperaug Woods Health Center, Southbury
• Essex Meadows Health Center, Essex
• Jerome Home, New Britain
• Jewish Senior Services, Bridgeport
• Waveny Care Center, New Canaan
• Lutheran Home of Southbury
• Cheshire House Health Care Facility, Waterbury
• Bel Air Manor, Newington
• Mansfield Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, Storrs Mansfield
• Edgehill Health Center, Stamford

High-Performing for Long Stays:

• Avery Nursing Home Noble Building, Hartford
• Middlebury Convalescent Home, Middlebury
• Village Crest Center for Health & Rehabilitation, New Milford
• Regency House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Wallingford
• Branford Hills Healthcare Center, Branford
• Manchester Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Manchester
• The Summit at Plantsville, Plantsville
• Westview Health Care Center – Dayville
• St. Mary Home, West Hartford
• Bishop Wicke Health & Rehabilitation Center, Shelton
• McLean Health Center, Simsbury
• River Glen Health Care Center, Southbury
• Fairview, Groton
• Caleb Hitchcock Health Care Center, Bloomfield
• Pilgrim Manor – Cromwell
• Southington Care Center, Southington
• Bride Brook Health & Rehabilitation Center, Niantic
• Ridge Crest at Meadow Ridge, West Redding
• Avalon Health Care Center at Stoneridge, Mystic
• St. Joseph's Residence, Enfield

More than 1.4 million people live in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes across the nation, Dr. Michael Tehrani, a geriatric physician and founder and CEO of MedWell Medical in Long Beach, California, told U.S. News last month. Most people who use long-term care service are at least 65 years old, with 83 percent of nursing home residents being in that older age bracket. Residents typically have a chronic condition — such as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes or Alzheimer’s disease — that requires ongoing care.

The U.S. News authors said the latest data showed that fewer than 5 percent of evaluated nursing homes met both existing staffing requirements and newly proposed staffing requirements by the Biden administration.

More than 2,500 cities and towns have at least one nursing home rated as “below average.” Furthermore, over 400 nursing homes consistently failed to have a registered nurse available for at least eight hours a day, seven days a week — as required by federal regulators — and only 701 met both existing requirements and more stringent staffing requirements recently proposed by the Biden administration, the report found.

Nursing homes that met both staffing standards are 54 times more likely to be rated a “Best Nursing Home” by U.S. News than those that consistently failed to meet the current standard, the U.S. News said in a news release. Additionally, 445 nursing homes that received 4 or 5 stars from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services were rated 1 or 2 out of 5 by U.S. News.

Methodology

U.S. News evaluated nursing homes using various quality measures from CMS. This includes data on resident care, safety, outcomes and other aspects of quality. Short- and long-term ratings include data on nurse staffing, use of antipsychotic drugs and success in preventing emergency room and hospital visits.

The long-term care rating also included measures of whether a home changed ownership and how well they were staffed on weekends.

“U.S. News’ Best Nursing Homes ratings give patients, senior residents, their families and caregivers an objective assessment of quality, to help them choose the facility that best fits their individual needs,” Daniel Lara Agudelo, health data analyst at U.S. News, said in a statement. “Nursing homes that have earned the recognition of U.S. News have a track record of achieving better outcomes for patients and residents, and maximizing the amount of care they receive from nurses and other staff.”

Here are the complete 2024 scores for all Connecticut nursing homes rated by U.S. News & World Report. You can re-sort, or search, the data by any category.