Lutheran Care Center
702 West Cumberland, Altamont, IL 62411 · Effingham County · 96 certified beds · avg 46 residents/day · certified since Jan 9, 1979
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 · Sep 30, 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: Sep 15, 2025 (Past Non-Compliance)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · Mar 28, 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 (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 17, 2025 (Past Non-Compliance)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · Jul 26, 2024 · F-0689
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: Aug 29, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (11)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 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 |
| Sep 30, 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. |
| Sep 30, 2025 | B · Minimal risk, repeated | The facility had resident rooms smaller than required — at least 80 square feet per person in shared rooms and 100 square feet in single rooms. |
| Mar 28, 2025 | ▲ 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 |
| Nov 15, 2024 | 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 |
| Nov 15, 2024 | 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 |
| Jul 26, 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. |
| Jul 26, 2024 | 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 9, 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. |
| Jun 9, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The 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 9, 2023 | B · Minimal risk, repeated | The facility had resident rooms smaller than required — at least 80 square feet per person in shared rooms and 100 square feet in single rooms. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections increased between the last two inspection cycles (2 → 3).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | D |
| 2024 | 4 | 1 | G ▲ |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 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 $36,553.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2025 | Fine | $17,345 |
| Mar 28, 2025 | Fine | $11,190 |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Fine | $8,018 |
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | Illinois avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 4.44 | 2.99 | 3.95 | top 12% in Illinois; top 25% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.91 | 0.63 | 0.69 | top 17% in Illinois; top 20% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.99 | 2.67 | 3.50 | top 10% in Illinois; top 23% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.58 | 0.56 | 0.48 | top 33% in Illinois; top 25% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 20.5 | 44.5 | 45.8 | top 4% in Illinois; top 3% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 11.1 | 41.8 | 42.9 | top 4% in Illinois; top 4% 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 3.51, RN 0.72, weekend 3.16. 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: 3/5 · long-stay residents: 2/5 · short-stay residents: 4/5
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faith Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| Holy Cross Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 02/20/2012 |
| Immanuel Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 07/23/2012 |
| St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 04/28/2003 |
| St. John Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 11/28/2011 |
| St. John's Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| St. John's Lutheran Church of Shelbyville | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church Elca | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| St. Paul Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| St. Peter's Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| Trinity Lutheran Church Nalc | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| Zion Lutheran Church | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 5% | 10/01/1980 |
| Aherin, Diane | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/25/2021 |
| Asbell, Mariya | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/14/2023 |
| Asbell, Mariya | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/14/2023 |
| Behrns, Dorothy | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2025 |
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?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "Can I see the actual room my family member would live in before we decide?"
- "Tell me about this abuse or neglect citation — what happened, and what specific changes did you make afterward?"
- "When abuse or theft is suspected, who do you notify, how fast, and how do you inform the family?"
- "What is your current medication error rate, and what have you changed to bring errors down?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Haven of St. Elmo | 5.3 mi | St Elmo, IL | ★☆☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Effingham Healthcare & Senior Living | 11.3 mi | Effingham, IL | ★☆☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Lakeland Rehab & Healthcare Center | 11.9 mi | Effingham, IL | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Evergreen Nursing & Rehab Center | 12.0 mi | Effingham, IL | ★★★★☆ | 4/5 | |
| Fayette County Hospital | 19.4 mi | Vandalia, IL | ★★★★☆ | 5/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 145380.