Las Alturas Nursing & Transitional Care Brownsvill
180 East Price Road, Brownsville, TX 78521 · Cameron County · 122 certified beds · avg 97 residents/day · certified since Jun 21, 2024
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★★★☆4/5 · CMS overall rating: 3/5
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, 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: Jun 12, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2026 | 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 |
| Mar 3, 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. · from a complaint |
| Nov 19, 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 |
| Jul 1, 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. |
| Jul 1, 2025 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Jul 1, 2025 | 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). · from a complaint |
| Jul 1, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not coordinate resident assessments with the state's pre-admission screening program for mental illness and intellectual disabilities, or failed to refer residents for the special services they need. |
| Jul 1, 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. |
| Jul 1, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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. |
| Jul 1, 2025 | 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 1, 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. |
| Jun 12, 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 |
| Jun 12, 2025 | 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 |
| Nov 6, 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. · from a complaint |
Inspection trend by year
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | D |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | J ▲ |
| 2026 | 2 | 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 $8,434.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2025 | Fine | $8,434 |
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | Texas avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 3.45 | 3.46 | 3.95 | top 39% in Texas; bottom 34% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.25 | 0.44 | 0.69 | bottom 16% in Texas; bottom 5% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.05 | 3.04 | 3.50 | top 38% in Texas; bottom 34% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.09 | 0.34 | 0.48 | bottom 1% in Texas; bottom 1% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 0.0 | 55.3 | 45.8 | — |
| RN turnover (%) | 0.0 | 54.6 | 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 3.31, RN 0.24, weekend 2.93. 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: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 5/5 · short-stay residents: 2/5
Who owns this facility
For profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fellbaum 2023 Descendants Trust | Organization | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 16% | 06/21/2024 |
| Healthcare Investments Brownsville LLC | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | — | 08/01/2024 |
| Heritage Brownsville Health Development LLC | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | — | 06/21/2024 |
| Jan Studer 2023 Spousal Trust | Organization | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 16% | 06/21/2024 |
| Kelly Fellbaum 2023 Spousal Trust | Organization | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 16% | 06/21/2024 |
| Studer 2023 Descendants Trust | Organization | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 16% | 06/21/2024 |
| The Bryon and Rena Sehlke Living Trust | Organization | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 16% | 06/01/2024 |
| Campbell, Leslie | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2024 |
| Campbell, Leslie | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2024 |
| Cardenas, Marisa | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2024 |
| Cardenas, Marisa | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2024 |
| Castillo, Lynnea | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2024 |
| Castillo, Lynnea | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2024 |
| Fellbaum 2023 Descendants Trust | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/21/2024 |
| Gilcrease, Cynthia | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2024 |
| Gilcrease, Cynthia | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2024 |
| Healthcare Investments Brownsville LLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/21/2024 |
| Jan Studer 2023 Spousal Trust | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/21/2024 |
| Jefferson Bank | Organization | 5% or Greater Security Interest | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/30/2024 |
| Kelly Fellbaum 2023 Spousal Trust | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/21/2024 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
- "How does your pharmacist review residents' medications, and how quickly can you fill new or urgent prescriptions?"
- "Can you show me how medications are stored and secured on the units, including controlled drugs?"
- "Can you give me examples of how you adjust daily routines and room setups to fit each resident's preferences?"
- "How do you record and honor each resident's treatment wishes and advance directives, and how do staff know about them?"
- "What written notices do we get before any transfer or discharge, and what is your bed-hold policy?"
- "How do you identify and arrange specialized services for residents with mental health conditions or disabilities?"
- "Can you show me an example care plan, and how are families included when it's created and updated?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Vista Rehabilitation and Healthcare | 1.4 mi | Brownsville, TX | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Fox Hollow Post Acute | 1.9 mi | Brownsville, TX | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Mesa Hills Post Acute | 2.7 mi | Brownsville, TX | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Ebony Lake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center | 3.0 mi | Brownsville, TX | ★★★★☆ | 3/5 | |
| Spanish Meadows | 3.3 mi | Brownsville, TX | ★★☆☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Brownsville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center | 4.0 mi | Brownsville, TX | ★☆☆☆☆ | 2/5 |
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Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 745049.