New Jersey ›Trenton

Belle Care Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

439 Bellevue Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08618 · Mercer County · 106 certified beds · avg 99 residents/day · certified since Mar 11, 1971

SFF Candidate

1/5
Health inspection rating (on-site)
7
Serious findings on record
$27,571
Fines, last 3 years
3.68
Nurse hours/resident/day (adjusted)

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

Health inspection rating: ★☆☆☆☆1/5 · CMS overall rating: 1/5

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)

▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Jun 26, 2024 · F-0550

The facility did not treat residents with dignity and respect, or did not honor their rights to make their own decisions and communicate freely. This is one of the most fundamental resident rights.

Why it matters: Being treated without dignity harms a resident's self-worth, mental health, and overall quality of life.

Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.

Corrected: Sep 18, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Jun 26, 2024 · F-0557

The facility did not treat residents with respect and dignity, or did not let them keep and use their own personal belongings.

Why it matters: Disrespectful treatment or losing cherished belongings hurts a resident's sense of self and well-being.

Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.

Corrected: Sep 18, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Jun 26, 2024 · F-0561

The facility did not honor residents' right to make their own choices about their daily lives, such as when to wake up, what to eat, or how to spend their time.

Why it matters: Losing everyday choices makes residents feel powerless in their own home.

Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.

Corrected: Sep 18, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Jun 26, 2024 · F-0603

The facility did not protect residents from being involuntarily separated — kept apart from other residents, kept out of their own room, or confined to their room. Isolating a resident this way is a form of mistreatment.

Why it matters: Forced isolation is emotionally harmful and can hide neglect or abuse from view.

Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.

Corrected: Sep 18, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Jun 26, 2024 · F-0604

The facility used physical restraints — devices that limit a resident's movement — when they weren't needed for medical treatment.

Why it matters: Unneeded restraints can cause injuries, muscle loss, and deep emotional distress.

Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.

Corrected: Sep 18, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Jun 26, 2024 · F-0835

The facility was not managed in a way that uses its money, staff, and resources effectively and efficiently to care for residents.

Why it matters: Poor administration often shows up as understaffing, supply shortages, and care problems across the whole facility.

Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.

Corrected: Sep 18, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

▲ Actual harm, one-off · Jun 26, 2024 · F-0600 · triggered by a complaint

The facility did not protect residents from abuse or neglect. This covers physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect, by anyone — staff, other residents, or visitors.

Why it matters: Abuse and neglect cause direct physical and emotional harm and are among the most serious failures a nursing home can have.

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: Aug 30, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

All citations in the current public record (75)

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

DateSeverityWhat the facility was cited for
Jan 5, 2026F · Potential for harm, facility-wideThe facility did not have a registered nurse on duty at least 8 hours a day, or did not have a registered nurse serving full-time as director of nursing.
Jan 5, 2026F · Potential for harm, facility-wideThe facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards.
Jan 5, 2026F · Potential for harm, facility-wideThe facility was not managed in a way that uses its money, staff, and resources effectively and efficiently to care for residents.
Jan 5, 2026F · Potential for harm, facility-wideThe facility did not electronically submit complete and accurate staffing information to the government, based on payroll and other verifiable records.
Jan 5, 2026E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, including safe support for residents' daily living needs.
Jan 5, 2026E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not have firmly secured handrails on both sides of its hallways.
Jan 5, 2026D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not develop and follow policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft. These written safeguards are the foundation of resident protection.
Jan 5, 2026D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft to the proper authorities quickly enough, or did not report the results of its investigation. · from a complaint
Jan 5, 2026D · Potential for harm, one-offThe 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.
Jan 5, 2026D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility's medication error rate was 5 percent or higher — meaning too many doses were given incorrectly, such as the wrong drug, dose, or time.
Jan 5, 2026D · Potential for harm, one-offThe 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.
Jan 5, 2026D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not dispose of garbage and refuse properly.
Jan 5, 2026D · Potential for harm, one-offThe 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.
Apr 24, 2025E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not provide pharmacy services that meet each resident's needs, or did not employ or contract with a licensed pharmacist. · from a complaint
Apr 24, 2025D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft to the proper authorities quickly enough, or did not report the results of its investigation. · from a complaint
Jun 26, 2024▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-offThe facility did not treat residents with dignity and respect, or did not honor their rights to make their own decisions and communicate freely. This is one of the most fundamental resident rights.
Jun 26, 2024▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-offThe facility did not treat residents with respect and dignity, or did not let them keep and use their own personal belongings.
Jun 26, 2024▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-offThe facility did not honor residents' right to make their own choices about their daily lives, such as when to wake up, what to eat, or how to spend their time.
Jun 26, 2024▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-offThe facility did not protect residents from being involuntarily separated — kept apart from other residents, kept out of their own room, or confined to their room. Isolating a resident this way is a form of mistreatment.
Jun 26, 2024▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-offThe facility used physical restraints — devices that limit a resident's movement — when they weren't needed for medical treatment.
Jun 26, 2024▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-offThe facility was not managed in a way that uses its money, staff, and resources effectively and efficiently to care for residents.
Jun 26, 2024▲ G · Actual harm, one-offThe facility did not protect residents from abuse or neglect. This covers physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect, by anyone — staff, other residents, or visitors. · from a complaint
Jun 26, 2024F · Potential for harm, facility-wideThe facility did not have a licensed pharmacist review each resident's complete medication regimen and medical chart every month, or did not follow its own rules for reporting medication problems.
Jun 26, 2024F · Potential for harm, facility-wideThe facility did not conduct and document a facility-wide assessment of what staff, supplies, and resources it needs to care for its residents properly — during everyday operations, nights, weekends, and emergencies.
Jun 26, 2024F · Potential for harm, facility-wideThe 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.
Jun 26, 2024F · Potential for harm, facility-wideThe facility did not have a working program to monitor how antibiotics are used. Tracking antibiotic use helps make sure these drugs are given only when needed and remain effective.
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not give residents proper notice about what Medicare or Medicaid covers, or about charges the resident might owe for services that aren't covered.
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not develop and follow policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft. These written safeguards are the foundation of resident protection.
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not accurately assess a resident's health and needs. Assessments are the foundation for all the care a resident receives.
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility provided care that did not meet professional standards of quality — the accepted standards that nurses and other clinicians are expected to follow.
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not provide activities that meet residents' needs and interests. Nursing homes must offer meaningful activity programs, not just leave residents idle.
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not have enough nursing staff each day to meet every resident's needs, or did not have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift. Adequate staffing is one of the strongest predictors of good care. · from a complaint
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not provide pharmacy services that meet each resident's needs, or did not employ or contract with a licensed pharmacist.
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility's medication error rate was 5 percent or higher — meaning too many doses were given incorrectly, such as the wrong drug, dose, or time.
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe 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.
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not serve meals and snacks at times that fit residents' needs, preferences, and requests, or did not offer nourishing alternatives for residents who want to eat outside scheduled meal times.
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe 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.
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not designate a qualified infection preventionist — a trained person responsible for running the infection prevention and control program.
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, including safe support for residents' daily living needs.
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not develop or follow a complete care plan for each resident — the written roadmap covering all of a resident's needs, with measurable goals and timelines.
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe 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.
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe 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
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not provide proper care for pressure ulcers (bedsores) or did not do enough to prevent new ones from forming. Bedsores develop when residents stay in one position too long without help moving.
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility used feeding tubes without a valid medical reason or the resident's agreement, or did not provide proper care to residents who have feeding tubes.
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not keep residents' medications free from unnecessary drugs. Residents should only take medicines they truly need, at the right dose, for a clear reason.
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards.
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not develop and follow policies and procedures for offering residents flu and pneumonia vaccinations.
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not keep its building and grounds safe, functional, clean, and comfortable for residents, staff, and visitors. · from a complaint
Jun 26, 2024E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not provide safe and appropriate pain management for a resident who needed it. · from a complaint
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not let a resident or their legal representative see or buy copies of the resident's own records. · from a complaint
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not immediately notify the resident, their doctor, and a family member when something significant happened — such as an injury, a decline in health, or a room change. Families and doctors are entitled to know right away. · from a complaint
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe 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
Jun 26, 2024D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not protect residents' personal information or did not keep complete, accurate medical records that meet professional standards. · from a complaint
Oct 20, 2022F · Potential for harm, facility-wideThe facility did not update each resident's care assessment at least once every 3 months. These regular check-ins keep the resident's care plan matched to their current condition.
Oct 20, 2022F · Potential for harm, facility-wideThe facility did not enter each resident's assessment information into the required format and send it to the state within 7 days of completing the assessment, as the rules require.
Oct 20, 2022E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility used physical restraints — devices that limit a resident's movement — when they weren't needed for medical treatment.
Oct 20, 2022E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not fully assess residents on time — a complete assessment of health, abilities, and needs is required when a resident is first admitted and at least once every 12 months after that.
Oct 20, 2022E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not properly complete the required screening (called PASARR) that identifies whether a person entering a nursing home has a mental illness or intellectual disability and needs specialized services.
Oct 20, 2022E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe 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.
Oct 20, 2022E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not provide safe, appropriate care for residents who need dialysis — the treatment that filters the blood when kidneys fail.
Oct 20, 2022E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not have a licensed pharmacist review each resident's complete medication regimen and medical chart every month, or did not follow its own rules for reporting medication problems.
Oct 20, 2022E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards.
Oct 20, 2022E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe facility did not conduct and document a facility-wide assessment of what staff, supplies, and resources it needs to care for its residents properly — during everyday operations, nights, weekends, and emergencies.
Oct 20, 2022E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe 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.
Oct 20, 2022E · Potential for harm, repeatedThe 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.
Oct 20, 2022D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not honor residents' rights to request, refuse, or stop treatment, to decline participation in medical research, or to make an advance directive — a written statement of their wishes for future medical care.
Oct 20, 2022D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not reassess a resident after a significant change in their condition, such as a sudden decline in health. A full new assessment is required when a resident's condition changes in a major way.
Oct 20, 2022D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not accurately assess a resident's health and needs. Assessments are the foundation for all the care a resident receives.
Oct 20, 2022D · Potential for harm, one-offThe 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.
Oct 20, 2022D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility provided care that did not meet professional standards of quality — the accepted standards that nurses and other clinicians are expected to follow.
Oct 20, 2022D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility's medication error rate was 5 percent or higher — meaning too many doses were given incorrectly, such as the wrong drug, dose, or time.
Oct 20, 2022D · Potential for harm, one-offThe 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.
Oct 20, 2022D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility's quality committee — the internal group responsible for finding and fixing care problems — did not have the required members or did not meet at least every three months.
Oct 20, 2022D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not have a working program to monitor how antibiotics are used. Tracking antibiotic use helps make sure these drugs are given only when needed and remain effective.
Oct 20, 2022D · Potential for harm, one-offThe facility did not make sure its staff were vaccinated for COVID-19 in accordance with the federal requirements in effect at the time.

Inspection trend by year

Citations from standard inspections decreased between the last two inspection cycles (32 → 13).

YearCitationsSerious (G–L)Worst severity that year
2022220F
2024387J ▲
202520E
2026130F

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)

2 fines totaling $27,571.

DateTypeAmount / length
Jun 26, 2024Fine$10,814
Jun 26, 2024Fine$16,757

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

MeasureThis facilityNew Jersey avgU.S. avgWhere it stands
Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day)3.683.883.95top 49% in New Jersey; bottom 45% in the U.S.
Registered Nurse hours0.330.670.69bottom 11% in New Jersey; bottom 13% in the U.S.
Weekend total nurse staffing3.223.533.50bottom 43% in New Jersey; bottom 43% in the U.S.
Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted)0.250.500.48bottom 18% in New Jersey; bottom 21% in the U.S.
Total nursing staff turnover (%)57.039.745.8bottom 10% in New Jersey; bottom 21% in the U.S.
RN turnover (%)54.537.742.9bottom 18% in New Jersey; bottom 29% 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 3.18, RN 0.29, weekend 2.78. Staffing rating: 2/5.

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: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 4/5 · short-stay residents: 4/5

Who owns this facility

For profit - Limited Liability company

Owner / managerTypeRoleStakeSince
Berkowitz, CheskelIndividual5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest23%12/29/2021
Leifer, JoelIndividual5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest23%12/29/2021
Orgel, JosephIndividual5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest10%12/29/2021
Ornstein, MartonIndividual5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest10%12/29/2021
Rubenstein, DavidIndividual5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest10%12/29/2021
Zupnick, JoelIndividual5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest23%12/29/2021
Perlow, JosephIndividualW-2 Managing EmployeeNOT APPLICABLE12/29/2021
Stern, SamuelIndividualCorporate OfficerNOT APPLICABLE12/29/2021

Questions to ask on your visit

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

Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)

FacilityDistanceCityOverallInspectionFlags
Trenton Gardens Rehabilitation and Nursing Center1.7 miTrenton, NJ—/5SFF
Avant Rehabilitation and Care Center2.0 miTrenton, NJ★★★★☆3/5
Riverside Health and Rehabilitation Center LLC2.5 miTrenton, NJ★★☆☆☆2/5
Greenwood House Home for the Jewish Aged2.5 miTrenton, NJ★★☆☆☆1/5
Preferred Care at Mercer2.6 miEwing, NJ★★★★☆3/5
Hamilton Grove Healthcare and Rehabilitation, LLC3.7 miHamilton, NJ★★☆☆☆2/5
Yardley Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center4.5 miYardley, PA★★★★★4/5
Lawrence Rehab & Hcc/The Meadows at Lawrence4.5 miLawrenceville, NJ★★☆☆☆2/5
Lawrence Rehabilitation Hospital4.7 miLawrenceville, NJ★★☆☆☆1/5
Clover Meadows Healthcare and Rehabilitation Cente4.7 miLawrenceville, NJ★★★★★4/5

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Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 315124.