Birchwood Health Care Center
604 1st Street NE, Forest Lake, MN 55025 · Washington County · 100 certified beds · avg 84 residents/day · certified since Dec 1, 1974
Part of chain: LIFESPARK (4 facilities, chain avg rating 1.3★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★☆☆☆☆1/5 · CMS overall rating: 2/5
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 12, 2026 · F-0684
The facility did not provide treatment and care that follows the doctor's orders and matches the resident's own preferences and goals.
Why it matters: Care that strays from doctor's orders or ignores the resident's wishes can lead to declining health and avoidable harm.
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: Jun 11, 2026 (Deficient, Provider has plan of correction)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Nov 13, 2025 · F-0689 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls.
Why it matters: This is one of the most common citations and directly relates to falls and injuries, which can be devastating for older adults.
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: Nov 9, 2025 (Past Non-Compliance)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · Feb 9, 2024 · F-0686
The 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.
Why it matters: Bedsores are painful, can become deeply infected, and in serious cases can be life-threatening.
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: Mar 11, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · Jan 10, 2024 · F-0689 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls.
Why it matters: This is one of the most common citations and directly relates to falls and injuries, which can be devastating for older adults.
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: Feb 3, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (39)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2026 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off | The facility did not provide treatment and care that follows the doctor's orders and matches the resident's own preferences and goals. |
| Jun 12, 2026 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | 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. |
| Jun 12, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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. |
| Jun 12, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide required paperwork or notices about a resident's needs, their right to appeal a transfer or discharge, or the facility's bed-hold policy (how long a bed is saved during a hospital stay). |
| Jun 12, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide safe, appropriate care for residents who need dialysis — the treatment that filters the blood when kidneys fail. |
| Jun 12, 2026 | 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. |
| Jun 12, 2026 | B · Minimal risk, repeated | The 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. |
| May 6, 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 |
| Dec 19, 2025 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Nov 13, 2025 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, 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 13, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not protect residents' personal information or did not keep complete, accurate medical records that meet professional standards. · from a complaint |
| Apr 10, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not make reasonable adjustments to fit each resident's individual needs and preferences — things like call buttons within reach, preferred wake-up times, or accessible room setups. |
| Apr 10, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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 |
| Apr 10, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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. |
| Apr 10, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility's menus did not meet residents' nutritional needs, or were not prepared in advance, followed as written, kept up to date, or reviewed by a dietician. |
| Apr 10, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | ▲ G · Actual harm, one-off | The 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. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | F · Potential for harm, facility-wide | The 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. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | F · Potential for harm, facility-wide | The 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. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | F · Potential for harm, facility-wide | The facility did not observe each nurse aide's job performance or provide regular training as required. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | F · Potential for harm, facility-wide | The facility did not run an ongoing quality assurance committee that reviews care problems and creates plans to fix them. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not develop and follow policies and procedures for offering residents flu and pneumonia vaccinations. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide treatment and care that follows the doctor's orders and matches the resident's own preferences and goals. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | 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. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide enough food and fluids to keep residents healthy, such as preventing unplanned weight loss or dehydration. |
| Feb 9, 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. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | 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. |
| Feb 9, 2024 | C · Minimal risk, facility-wide | 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. |
| Jan 10, 2024 | ▲ G · Actual 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 |
| Jan 10, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not create and follow a basic care plan covering a new resident's most immediate needs within 48 hours of admission. The first days are when a new resident is most vulnerable. · from a complaint |
| Jan 10, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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. · from a complaint |
| Jan 10, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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. · from a complaint |
| Jan 10, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide appropriate care related to bladder and bowel needs — including care for residents who use catheters and steps to prevent urinary tract infections. · from a complaint |
| Jan 10, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not make sure its nurses and nurse aides had the skills and training needed to properly care for every resident. · from a complaint |
| Jan 4, 2024 | 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 |
| Dec 6, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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 |
| Sep 1, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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 |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections increased between the last two inspection cycles (5 → 7).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | D |
| 2024 | 21 | 2 | G ▲ |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | J ▲ |
| 2026 | 8 | 1 | J ▲ |
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)
3 fines totaling $48,698.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 13, 2025 | Fine | $10,361 |
| Feb 9, 2024 | Fine | $29,234 |
| Jan 4, 2024 | Fine | $9,103 |
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 3.97 | 4.83 | 3.95 | bottom 15% in Minnesota; top 40% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.81 | 1.22 | 0.69 | bottom 15% in Minnesota; top 27% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.67 | 4.27 | 3.50 | bottom 21% in Minnesota; top 34% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.61 | 0.69 | 0.48 | top 48% in Minnesota; top 22% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 37.7 | 42.2 | 45.8 | top 45% in Minnesota; top 30% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 50.0 | 38.6 | 42.9 | bottom 32% in Minnesota; bottom 39% 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 3.86, RN 0.78, weekend 3.56. Staffing rating: 4/5.
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: 4/5
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aegis Therapies, INC. | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2009 |
| Chebli, Yasser | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Chebli, Yasser | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Grape Tree Medical Staffing LLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/01/2023 |
| King, Ryan | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2025 |
| King, Ryan | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2025 |
| Kramer, Trisha | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/20/2024 |
| Lifespark Management Services | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2020 |
| Lifespark Management Services | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/09/2025 |
| Lifesprk Holdings, INC. | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2020 |
| Marshall, Susan | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2007 |
| Martin, Richard | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2007 |
| Miller, Megan | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2025 |
| Miller, Megan | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2025 |
| Senior Care Communities | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/30/1999 |
| Shiftster LLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/01/2023 |
| Toulouse, Molly | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/30/2017 |
| TWSL. LLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2020 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "How do you make sure each resident's care follows the doctor's orders, and what changed after this citation?"
- "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
- "How do you prevent bedsores for residents who can't move themselves, and how often are at-risk residents repositioned?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "Can you give me examples of how your staff protect residents' dignity in everyday care, like bathing and dressing?"
- "What written notices do we get before any transfer or discharge, and what is your bed-hold policy?"
- "How do you coordinate and monitor care for residents who receive dialysis?"
- "Can you show me how medications are stored and secured on the units, including controlled drugs?"
- "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 | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadows on Fairview | 2.5 mi | Wyoming, MN | ★★★★☆ | 5/5 | |
| Parmly on the Lake LLC | 6.9 mi | Chisago City, MN | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Waverly Gardens | 11.8 mi | North Oaks, MN | ★★★☆☆ | 2/5 | abuse |
| Christian Community Home of Osceola, INC | 13.8 mi | Osceola, WI | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Cerenity Care Center White Bear Lake | 14.2 mi | White Bear Lake, MN | ★★★★☆ | 3/5 | |
| Ecumen North Branch | 15.2 mi | North Branch, MN | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Good Samaritan Society - Stillwater | 17.1 mi | Stillwater, MN | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| The Estates at Linden LLC | 17.8 mi | Stillwater, MN | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| The Estates at Greeley LLC | 17.9 mi | Stillwater, MN | ★★★★☆ | 4/5 | |
| Park River Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center LL | 18.2 mi | Coon Rapids, MN | ★★☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| The Villas at New Brighton | 18.4 mi | New Brighton, MN | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Harmony Gardens | 18.5 mi | Maplewood, MN | ★★★★☆ | 3/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
All facilities in Forest Lake →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 245200.