Good Samaritan Society - Comforcare
1201 17th Street NE, Austin, MN 55912 · Mower County · 45 certified beds · avg 45 residents/day · certified since Jun 1, 1986
Part of chain: GOOD SAMARITAN SOCIETY (92 facilities, chain avg rating 3.0★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★★★☆4/5 · CMS overall rating: 5/5
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 · Mar 27, 2025 · F-0803 · triggered by a complaint
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.
Why it matters: When menus aren't planned and followed properly, residents may not get the nutrition their health depends on.
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: Mar 26, 2025 (Past Non-Compliance)
All citations in the current public record (14)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2025 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, 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. · from a complaint |
| Mar 6, 2025 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Mar 6, 2025 | 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 |
| Mar 6, 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 7, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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. |
| Nov 7, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, including safe support for residents' daily living needs. · from a complaint |
| Dec 28, 2023 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not serve food and drinks that were appetizing, attractive, and at a safe and pleasant temperature. |
| Dec 28, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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. |
| Dec 28, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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. |
| Dec 28, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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. |
| Dec 28, 2023 | 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. |
| Dec 28, 2023 | 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. |
| Dec 28, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not develop and follow policies and procedures for offering residents flu and pneumonia vaccinations. |
| Dec 28, 2023 | 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. |
Inspection trend by year
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | E |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | D |
| 2025 | 4 | 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)
1 fine totaling $21,645.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 6, 2025 | Fine | $21,645 |
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) | 4.88 | 4.83 | 3.95 | top 45% in Minnesota; top 15% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 1.12 | 1.22 | 0.69 | bottom 49% in Minnesota; top 12% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 4.48 | 4.27 | 3.50 | top 37% in Minnesota; top 12% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.51 | 0.69 | 0.48 | bottom 38% in Minnesota; top 31% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 28.3 | 42.2 | 45.8 | top 17% in Minnesota; top 11% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 18.2 | 38.6 | 42.9 | top 16% in Minnesota; top 12% 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 4.04, RN 0.92, weekend 3.70. Staffing rating: 5/5.
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: 4/5 · short-stay residents: 5/5
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 100% | 01/01/2019 |
| The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society | Organization | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 100% | 01/01/2019 |
| Brown, George | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2025 |
| Brown, George | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2025 |
| DTN Staffing INC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/02/2024 |
| Dykhouse, Dana | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/30/2024 |
| Dykhouse, Dana | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/30/2024 |
| Engbrecht, Wesley | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/30/2024 |
| Engbrecht, Wesley | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/30/2024 |
| Fluit, Joel | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/01/2022 |
| Fluit, Joel | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/01/2022 |
| Focusone Solutions | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/04/2024 |
| Gassen, William | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/30/2024 |
| Gassen, William | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/30/2024 |
| Gassen, William | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/30/2024 |
| Grape Tree Medical Staffing LLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/13/2018 |
| Gulsvig, Neil | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/30/2024 |
| Gulsvig, Neil | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/30/2024 |
| Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/30/2024 |
| Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/30/2024 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "Who reviews your menus, and can I see this week's menu and join my family member for a meal?"
- "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?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "Before any service that isn't covered by Medicare or Medicaid, how will you notify us and get our agreement?"
- "Can we tour the resident rooms, bathrooms, and common areas today, including areas not on the usual tour route?"
- "Could I join residents for a meal to see the food quality and temperature for myself?"
- "How do you record and honor each resident's treatment wishes and advance directives, and how do staff know about them?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Marks Living | 2.0 mi | Austin, MN | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Sacred Heart Care Center | 2.4 mi | Austin, MN | ★★☆☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Prairie Manor Care Center | 14.5 mi | Blooming Prairie, MN | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| Field Crest Care Center | 15.9 mi | Hayfield, MN | ★★★★★ | 5/5 | |
| Stacyville Community Nursing Home | 18.8 mi | Stacyville, IA | ★★★☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Meadow Manor | 19.1 mi | Grand Meadow, MN | ★★★☆☆ | 4/5 |
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Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 245317.