Autumn Lake Healthcare at Berkeley Heights

Name: Autumn Lake Healthcare at Berkeley Heights
Address: 35 COTTAGE STREET, Berkeley Heights, NJ, 07922, US
Telephone: 9088971000

35 Cottage Street, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 · Union County · 130 certified beds · avg 99 residents/day · certified since Jul 19, 1983

Part of chain: AUTUMN LAKE HEALTHCARE (59 facilities, chain avg rating 2.8★)

3/5

Health inspection rating (on-site)

Serious findings on record

$102,660

Fines, last 3 years

4.00

Nurse hours/resident/day (adjusted)

What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)

Health inspection rating: ★★★☆☆3/5 · CMS overall rating: 4/5

The health inspection star above is graded on a curve within each state — a set share of each state's facilities gets each star level — so a facility can have few citations and still rate 2–3 stars if others in its state did even better. The overall rating combines that inspection score with staffing and self-reported quality measures.

Most serious findings (actual harm or immediate jeopardy)

▲ Actual harm, one-off · Jul 19, 2024 · F-0658

The facility provided care that did not meet professional standards of quality — the accepted standards that nurses and other clinicians are expected to follow.

Why it matters: Care that falls below professional standards can directly harm a resident's health and recovery.

Severity (G): One or a few residents were actually harmed — physically or emotionally — though not put in immediate danger of serious injury or death.

Corrected: Sep 10, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

All citations in the current public record (21)

CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed.

Date	Severity	What the facility was cited for
Jan 21, 2026	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. · from a complaint
Nov 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls.
Nov 18, 2025	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not accurately assess a resident's health and needs. Assessments are the foundation for all the care a resident receives.
Feb 10, 2025	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not develop and follow policies and procedures for offering residents flu and pneumonia vaccinations.
Jul 19, 2024	▲ G · Actual harm, one-off	The facility provided care that did not meet professional standards of quality — the accepted standards that nurses and other clinicians are expected to follow.
Jul 19, 2024	F · Potential for harm, facility-wide	The facility did not respond appropriately to alleged violations, such as reports of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment. Facilities must investigate every allegation and protect residents while they do. · from a complaint
Jul 19, 2024	F · Potential for harm, facility-wide	The facility did not provide the help residents need with basic daily activities — like bathing, dressing, eating, and using the bathroom — for residents who cannot do these things on their own. · from a complaint
Jul 19, 2024	F · Potential for harm, facility-wide	The facility did not provide treatment and care that follows the doctor's orders and matches the resident's own preferences and goals. · from a complaint
Jul 19, 2024	F · Potential for harm, facility-wide	The facility did not make sure its nurse aides were properly trained — aides working more than 4 months must be trained and competent, and newer aides must be enrolled in training.
Jul 19, 2024	F · Potential for harm, facility-wide	The facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards.
Jul 19, 2024	F · Potential for harm, facility-wide	The facility did not have a written plan describing how it runs its quality improvement program — the ongoing process of finding problems in care and fixing them.
Jul 19, 2024	F · Potential for harm, facility-wide	The facility did not designate a qualified infection preventionist — a trained person responsible for running the infection prevention and control program.
Jul 19, 2024	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not develop a resident's complete plan of care within 7 days of the full assessment, or the plan wasn't prepared, reviewed, and updated by a team of health professionals as required.
Jul 19, 2024	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not provide the care needed to maintain or improve residents' movement and flexibility — such as range-of-motion exercises — leading to avoidable decline.
Jul 19, 2024	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not provide safe and appropriate respiratory care — such as oxygen, breathing treatments, or care for residents on breathing equipment — for residents who needed it.
Jul 19, 2024	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not post its nurse staffing information every day. Nursing homes must publicly display how many nurses and aides are on duty each day.
Jul 19, 2024	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not provide pharmacy services that meet each resident's needs, or did not employ or contract with a licensed pharmacist.
Jul 19, 2024	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not label drugs according to professional standards or did not store them in locked compartments, with controlled drugs (medications with a high risk of misuse) kept under a separate lock.
Nov 15, 2022	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility provided care that did not meet professional standards of quality — the accepted standards that nurses and other clinicians are expected to follow.
Nov 15, 2022	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not label drugs according to professional standards or did not store them in locked compartments, with controlled drugs (medications with a high risk of misuse) kept under a separate lock.
Nov 15, 2022	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not have or follow an effective program to prevent and control infections — such as proper hand washing, cleaning, and isolation practices. This is the most commonly cited deficiency nationwide.

Inspection trend by year

Citations from standard inspections decreased between the last two inspection cycles (14 → 2).

Year	Citations	Serious (G–L)	Worst severity that year
2022	3	0	D
2024	14	1	G ▲
2025	3	0	E
2026	1	0	D

Counts reflect the current CMS public record (~3 inspection cycles plus complaint investigations); years with no surveys show no row. Inspection frequency varies, so compare severity as well as counts.

Fines and enforcement (last 3 years)

1 fine totaling $102,660.

Date	Type	Amount / length
Jul 19, 2024	Fine	$102,660

Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)

Measure	This facility	New Jersey avg	U.S. avg	Where it stands
Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day)	4.00	3.88	3.95	top 31% in New Jersey; top 39% in the U.S.
Registered Nurse hours	0.45	0.67	0.69	bottom 31% in New Jersey; bottom 31% in the U.S.
Weekend total nurse staffing	3.72	3.53	3.50	top 28% in New Jersey; top 32% in the U.S.
Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted)	0.38	0.50	0.48	bottom 47% in New Jersey; bottom 48% in the U.S.
Total nursing staff turnover (%)	42.2	39.7	45.8	bottom 41% in New Jersey; top 42% in the U.S.
RN turnover (%)	52.9	37.7	42.9	bottom 20% in New Jersey; bottom 31% in the U.S.

Hours are per resident per day, case-mix adjusted by CMS so facilities caring for sicker residents can be compared fairly (same basis as the CMS staffing star). "Top X%" means better than most facilities: more staffing hours, or lower turnover. Raw (unadjusted) reported hours: total 3.62, RN 0.41, weekend 3.37. Staffing rating: 3/5.

Self-reported quality measures

Note: these ratings are based on data the facility reports about itself to CMS. They are not independently verified by inspectors, and can look better than inspection findings. Give more weight to the inspection results above.

Quality measures rating: 5/5 · long-stay residents: 5/5 · short-stay residents: 5/5

Who owns this facility

For profit - Limited Liability company

Owner / manager	Type	Role	Stake	Since
Gluck, Rivka	Individual	5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest	10%	06/01/2017
Handler, Samuel	Individual	5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest	5%	09/07/2016
MJH Group LLC	Organization	Indirect Ownership Interest	NOT APPLICABLE	06/01/2017
BH Associates Realty LLC	Organization	5% or Greater Mortgage Interest	NOT APPLICABLE	06/01/2017
BH Associates Realty LLC	Organization	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	06/01/2017
Gluck, Rivka	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	06/01/2017
Handler, Samuel	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	06/01/2017
Jacobowitz, Jacob	Individual	Individual Is an Owner, Partner or Trustee of Any ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	07/18/2025
Meisels, Morris	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	06/01/2017
Schwartz, Joel	Individual	Individual Is an Owner, Partner or Trustee of Any ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	07/18/2025
Schwartz, Mark	Individual	Corporate Officer	NOT APPLICABLE	09/07/2016
Schwartz, Mark	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	09/07/2016
Sitzer, Shimon	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	03/24/2025
Sitzer, Shimon	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	03/24/2025
Stern, Aryeh	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	06/01/2017

Questions to ask on your visit

Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.

"Can you tell me what this citation involved and what steps you took to bring care back up to standard?"
"What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
"Who completes resident assessments here, and how do you check them for accuracy?"
"What percentage of your residents and staff are vaccinated against flu and pneumonia, and how do you offer the vaccines?"
"If someone reports suspected abuse or neglect here, what happens in the first 24 hours?"
"How many aides are on each shift, and how do you make sure every resident gets timely help with bathing, dressing, and meals?"
"How do you make sure each resident's care follows the doctor's orders, and what changed after this citation?"
"What training and competency checks do your nurse aides go through, and how do you keep their skills current?"
"What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
"Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"

Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)

Facility	Distance	City	Overall	Inspection
Runnells Center for Rehabilitation & Healthcare	1.3 mi	Berkeley Heights, NJ	★★☆☆☆	2/5
Continuing Care at Lantern Hill	2.1 mi	New Providence, NJ	★★★☆☆	2/5
Spring Grove Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center	2.4 mi	New Providence, NJ	★★★☆☆	2/5
McAuley Hall Health Care Cente	2.9 mi	Watchung, NJ	★★★★☆	4/5
Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center	4.0 mi	Chatham, NJ	★★★★☆	3/5
Aristacare at Norwood Terrace	4.0 mi	Plainfield, NJ	★★★★★	4/5
Childrens Specialized Hospital Mountainside	4.5 mi	Mountainside, NJ	★★★★★	5/5
Mountainside Skilled Nursing and Rehab	4.9 mi	Mountainside, NJ	★★★☆☆	2/5
Abingdon Care & Rehabilitation Center	5.2 mi	Green Brook, NJ	★★☆☆☆	1/5
Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Healthcare	5.7 mi	Madison, NJ	★★★★★	4/5
Complete Care at Plainfield LLC	5.7 mi	Plainfield, NJ	★★★★★	4/5
Complete Care at Woodlands	5.9 mi	Plainfield, NJ	★★★★★	4/5

Compare this facility with the 3 closest →

All facilities in Berkeley Heights →

Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 315195.

The Care File

Visit checklist — Autumn Lake Healthcare at Berkeley Heights

35 Cottage Street, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 · 9088971000

Health inspection rating 3/5 · CMS overall 4/5· Fines (3y): $102,660

Most serious findings on record:

▲ Jul 19, 2024 (F-0658, Actual harm, one-off): The facility provided care that did not meet professional standards of quality — the accepted standards that nurses and other clinicians are expected to follow.

Questions for the administrator:

☐ "Can you tell me what this citation involved and what steps you took to bring care back up to standard?"
☐ "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
☐ "Who completes resident assessments here, and how do you check them for accuracy?"
☐ "What percentage of your residents and staff are vaccinated against flu and pneumonia, and how do you offer the vaccines?"
☐ "If someone reports suspected abuse or neglect here, what happens in the first 24 hours?"
☐ "How many aides are on each shift, and how do you make sure every resident gets timely help with bathing, dressing, and meals?"
☐ "How do you make sure each resident's care follows the doctor's orders, and what changed after this citation?"
☐ "What training and competency checks do your nurse aides go through, and how do you keep their skills current?"
☐ "What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
☐ "Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"

While you're there, notice:

☐ Smell and cleanliness in hallways, not just the lobby
☐ How staff speak to residents; call lights answered promptly
☐ Residents up, dressed, and engaged (visit mealtimes and a weekend if you can)

Data: CMS Provider Data Catalog, version 2026-08-01 · CCN 315195 · Verify at medicare.gov/care-compare · Printed from The Care File (thecarefile.com)