Kern Valley Healthcare District DP SNF
6412 Laurel Ave, Lake Isabella, CA 93240 · Kern County · 74 certified beds · avg 56 residents/day · certified since Jul 30, 1992
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★☆☆☆2/5 · 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)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · Oct 27, 2025 · F-0684 · triggered by a complaint
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 (G): One or a few residents were actually harmed — physically or emotionally — though not put in immediate danger of serious injury or death.
Corrected: Jan 30, 2026 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · Nov 25, 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: Jan 25, 2025 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (32)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2026 | 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. |
| Apr 23, 2026 | F · Potential for harm, facility-wide | 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. |
| Apr 23, 2026 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility provided care that did not meet professional standards of quality — the accepted standards that nurses and other clinicians are expected to follow. |
| Apr 23, 2026 | 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. |
| Apr 23, 2026 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | 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. |
| Apr 23, 2026 | 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. |
| Apr 23, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not have a policy covering how food brought in by family and visitors is used and stored safely. |
| Apr 23, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not have policies on smoking. |
| Dec 17, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not make sure residents were fully informed about their own health, care, and treatments in a way they could understand. · from a complaint |
| Dec 17, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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 |
| Dec 17, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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. · from a complaint |
| Dec 17, 2025 | 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 |
| Dec 17, 2025 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Oct 27, 2025 | ▲ G · Actual 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 |
| Oct 27, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not make sure residents actually saw their doctor face-to-face at all required visits. Doctors must examine nursing home residents in person on a regular schedule. · from a complaint |
| Jun 26, 2025 | 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 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Jun 12, 2025 | 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. |
| Jun 12, 2025 | 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. |
| Jun 12, 2025 | 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. |
| Jun 12, 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. |
| Jun 12, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide routine dental care and 24-hour emergency dental care for residents. |
| Apr 7, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not honor residents' right to voice complaints without discrimination or retaliation, or did not have a working complaint process that resolves issues promptly. · from a complaint |
| Apr 7, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide activities that meet residents' needs and interests. Nursing homes must offer meaningful activity programs, not just leave residents idle. · from a complaint |
| Nov 25, 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 |
| Apr 25, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | 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. · from a complaint |
| Apr 25, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | 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. · from a complaint |
| Apr 25, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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. · from a complaint |
| Apr 25, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility allowed residents to lose the ability to do daily activities — like bathing, dressing, and eating — when there was no medical reason for the decline. Good care helps residents keep the abilities they have. · from a complaint |
| Apr 25, 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 |
| Apr 25, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide residents with enough to drink, or with drinks matching their needs and preferences, to keep them properly hydrated. · from a complaint |
| Apr 25, 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. · from a complaint |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections increased between the last two inspection cycles (5 → 8).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8 | 1 | G ▲ |
| 2025 | 16 | 1 | G ▲ |
| 2026 | 8 | 0 | F |
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 $31,581, plus 1 Medicare payment denial period.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 27, 2025 | Fine | $21,548 |
| Oct 27, 2025 | Payment Denial | 51 days from Jan 8, 2026 |
| Nov 25, 2024 | Fine | $10,033 |
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | California avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 4.11 | 4.31 | 3.95 | bottom 50% in California; top 35% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.22 | 0.61 | 0.69 | bottom 2% in California; bottom 4% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.78 | 3.90 | 3.50 | top 47% in California; top 30% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.15 | 0.51 | 0.48 | bottom 2% in California; bottom 5% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 32.6 | 36.7 | 45.8 | top 39% in California; top 19% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 0.0 | 38.1 | 42.9 | — |
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 3.38, RN 0.18, weekend 3.11. Staffing rating: 1/5.
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
Who owns this facility
Government - Hospital district
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blythe, John | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/03/2017 |
| Clark, Frederick | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2021 |
| Elconin, Katheryn | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2021 |
| Elliott, Ross | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2020 |
| Gross, Robert | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/01/2020 |
| Gross, Robert | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/01/2020 |
| Lovrich, John | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 09/01/2025 |
| Lovrich, John | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 09/01/2025 |
| Lovrich, John | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/15/2026 |
| Markman, Sally | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/03/2014 |
| Markman, Sally | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/03/2014 |
| Parks, Eugene | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/07/2018 |
| Pettijohn, Brenda | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/06/2023 |
| Smith, Amy | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/18/2015 |
| Smith, Amy | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/18/2015 |
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 many hours a day is a registered nurse physically in the building, including weekends?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "Can you tell me what this citation involved and what steps you took to bring care back up to standard?"
- "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
- "How many residents here use oxygen or breathing equipment, and who checks that equipment each shift?"
- "What are your rules for bringing in my family member's favorite foods, and how are they stored?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield Post Acute | 33.6 mi | Bakersfield, CA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Height Street Skilled Care | 35.6 mi | Bakersfield, CA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| The Rehabilitation Center of Bakersfield | 35.8 mi | Bakersfield, CA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Arvin Post Acute | 37.6 mi | Arvin, CA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| San Joaquin Nursing Center and Rehabilitation Cent | 37.7 mi | Bakersfield, CA | ★★★☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| The Orchards Post-Acute | 38.0 mi | Bakersfield, CA | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Valley Healthcare Center | 39.1 mi | Bakersfield, CA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Kern River Transitional Care | 39.9 mi | Bakersfield, CA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 |
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Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 555517.