Optima Care Fountains

Name: Optima Care Fountains
Address: 595 COUNTY AVENUE, Secaucus, NJ, 07094, US
Telephone: 2018638866

595 County Avenue, Secaucus, NJ 07094 · Hudson County · 334 certified beds · avg 283 residents/day · certified since Jul 2, 2002

Part of chain: OPTIMA CARE (8 facilities, chain avg rating 3.0★)

1/5

Health inspection rating (on-site)

Serious findings on record

$51,483

Fines, last 3 years

5.28

Nurse hours/resident/day (adjusted)

What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)

Health inspection rating: ★☆☆☆☆1/5 · CMS overall rating: 1/5

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 · Jan 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: Mar 7, 2025 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

▲ Actual harm, one-off · Oct 17, 2024 · F-0697

The facility did not provide safe and appropriate pain management for a resident who needed it.

Why it matters: Untreated pain causes needless suffering and can lead to depression, poor sleep, and declining health.

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: Dec 5, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

All citations in the current public record (43)

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
Feb 19, 2026	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.
Feb 19, 2026	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.
Feb 19, 2026	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not properly notify residents about the balance of money it holds for them, or failed to return those funds when a resident was discharged, evicted, or died.
Feb 19, 2026	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not keep residents' personal and medical information private and confidential.
Feb 19, 2026	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.
Feb 19, 2026	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not develop and follow policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft. These written safeguards are the foundation of resident protection.
Feb 19, 2026	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not enter each resident's assessment information into the required format and send it to the state within 7 days of completing the assessment, as the rules require.
Feb 19, 2026	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not accurately assess a resident's health and needs. Assessments are the foundation for all the care a resident receives.
Feb 19, 2026	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 19, 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.
Feb 19, 2026	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not have a working call system — the button or cord residents use to summon help — in each resident's bathroom and bathing area.
Feb 19, 2026	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not have firmly secured handrails on both sides of its hallways.
Jul 22, 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
Jul 22, 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
Jan 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
Jan 30, 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
Jan 30, 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
Oct 17, 2024	▲ G · Actual harm, one-off	The facility did not provide safe and appropriate pain management for a resident who needed it.
Oct 17, 2024	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.
Oct 17, 2024	F · Potential for harm, facility-wide	The facility did not properly inform residents or their representatives about arbitration agreements — contracts that give up the right to sue in court — including their right to refuse to sign.
Oct 17, 2024	F · Potential for harm, facility-wide	The facility did not provide a neutral and fair arbitration process. Arbitration is a way of settling disputes outside of court, and if it's used, the facility must agree with the resident on a neutral arbitrator and a convenient location.
Oct 17, 2024	E · Potential for harm, repeated	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
Oct 17, 2024	E · Potential for harm, repeated	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
Oct 17, 2024	E · Potential for harm, repeated	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
Oct 17, 2024	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not respond appropriately to alleged violations, such as reports of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment. Facilities must investigate every allegation and protect residents while they do. · from a complaint
Oct 17, 2024	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not give the resident or their representative written notice of how long it would hold the resident's bed during a hospital stay or approved leave.
Oct 17, 2024	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not serve food and drinks that were appetizing, attractive, and at a safe and pleasant temperature. · from a complaint
Oct 17, 2024	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not have a written plan describing how it runs its quality improvement program — the ongoing process of finding problems in care and fixing them.
Oct 17, 2024	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not run an ongoing quality assurance committee that reviews care problems and creates plans to fix them.
Oct 17, 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.
Oct 17, 2024	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not keep residents' personal and medical information private and confidential.
Oct 17, 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
Oct 17, 2024	D · Potential for 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.
Oct 17, 2024	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
Oct 17, 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.
Oct 17, 2023	B · Minimal risk, repeated	The facility did not protect residents' personal information or did not keep complete, accurate medical records that meet professional standards. · from a complaint
Dec 2, 2022	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not make sure the resident's doctor reviewed their care and wrote, signed, and dated progress notes and orders at each required visit.
Dec 2, 2022	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.
Dec 2, 2022	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.
Dec 2, 2022	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.
Dec 2, 2022	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.
Dec 2, 2022	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not observe each nurse aide's job performance or provide regular training as required.
Dec 2, 2022	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.

Inspection trend by year

Citations from standard inspections stayed about the same across the last two inspection cycles (16 → 12).

Year	Citations	Serious (G–L)	Worst severity that year
2022	7	0	E
2023	1	0	B
2024	18	1	G ▲
2025	5	1	J ▲
2026	12	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 $51,483.

Date	Type	Amount / length
Jan 30, 2025	Fine	$17,345
Oct 17, 2024	Fine	$34,138

Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)

Measure	This facility	New Jersey avg	U.S. avg	Where it stands
Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day)	5.28	3.88	3.95	top 8% in New Jersey; top 10% in the U.S.
Registered Nurse hours	0.75	0.67	0.69	top 28% in New Jersey; top 32% in the U.S.
Weekend total nurse staffing	4.93	3.53	3.50	top 7% in New Jersey; top 7% in the U.S.
Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted)	0.35	0.50	0.48	bottom 41% in New Jersey; bottom 43% in the U.S.
Total nursing staff turnover (%)	28.7	39.7	45.8	top 21% in New Jersey; top 12% in the U.S.
RN turnover (%)	17.2	37.7	42.9	top 13% in New Jersey; top 11% 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 3.85, RN 0.54, weekend 3.60. 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: 1/5 · long-stay residents: 1/5 · short-stay residents: —/5

Who owns this facility

For profit - Limited Liability company

Owner / manager	Type	Role	Stake	Since
Mendel, Eric	Individual	5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest	100%	08/01/2021
Optima Care Riverview Investment, LLC	Organization	5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest	100%	08/01/2021
Emm Healthcare Group LLC	Organization	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	08/01/2021
Empro Staffing LLC	Organization	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	08/01/2021
Goldstein, Marc	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	08/01/2021
Mendel, Eric	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	08/01/2021
Mendel, Eric	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	08/01/2021
Rinn, Seth	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	09/30/2024
Rinn, Seth	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	09/30/2024
Shiftster LLC	Organization	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	08/01/2021

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 do you assess and manage residents' pain, especially for those who have trouble communicating?"
"What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
"Can you give me examples of how you adjust daily routines and room setups to fit each resident's preferences?"
"If you manage my family member's personal funds, how often will we get statements and how quickly are funds returned?"
"How do you protect residents' privacy, both in their medical records and in day-to-day care?"
"Can we tour the resident rooms, bathrooms, and common areas today, including areas not on the usual tour route?"
"What specific steps do you take to prevent abuse and neglect, and how are staff trained on 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
Optima Care Castle Hill	1.6 mi	Union City, NJ	★★☆☆☆	1/5
Manhattanview Ctr for Rehabilitation and Healthcar	1.8 mi	Union City, NJ	★★★★☆	4/5
Harbour View Senior Living Corp	2.1 mi	North Bergen, NJ	★★☆☆☆	2/5
Optima Care Harborview	3.0 mi	Jersey City, NJ	★★★☆☆	2/5
Hoboken University Medical Center Tcu	3.2 mi	Hoboken, NJ	★★★★★	4/5
Complete Care at Harborage LLC	3.3 mi	North Bergen, NJ	★★☆☆☆	1/5	abuse
Peace Care St Joseph's	3.5 mi	Jersey City, NJ	★★★★☆	3/5
Hudsonview Health Care Center	3.6 mi	North Bergen, NJ	★★★★★	4/5
Alaris Health at Hamilton Park	3.8 mi	Jersey City, NJ	★★★★☆	4/5
The Riverside	4.1 mi	New York, NY	★★★★★	4/5

Compare this facility with the 3 closest →

All facilities in Secaucus →

Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 315476.

The Care File

Visit checklist — Optima Care Fountains

595 County Avenue, Secaucus, NJ 07094 · 2018638866

Health inspection rating 1/5 · CMS overall 1/5· Fines (3y): $51,483

Most serious findings on record:

▲ Jan 30, 2025 (F-0689, 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.
▲ Oct 17, 2024 (F-0697, Actual harm, one-off): The facility did not provide safe and appropriate pain management for a resident who needed it.

Questions for the administrator:

☐ "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
☐ "How do you assess and manage residents' pain, especially for those who have trouble communicating?"
☐ "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
☐ "Can you give me examples of how you adjust daily routines and room setups to fit each resident's preferences?"
☐ "If you manage my family member's personal funds, how often will we get statements and how quickly are funds returned?"
☐ "How do you protect residents' privacy, both in their medical records and in day-to-day care?"
☐ "Can we tour the resident rooms, bathrooms, and common areas today, including areas not on the usual tour route?"
☐ "What specific steps do you take to prevent abuse and neglect, and how are staff trained on 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?"

While you're there, notice:

☐ Smell and cleanliness in hallways, not just the lobby
☐ How staff speak to residents; call lights answered promptly
☐ Residents up, dressed, and engaged (visit mealtimes and a weekend if you can)

Data: CMS Provider Data Catalog, version 2026-08-01 · CCN 315476 · Verify at medicare.gov/care-compare · Printed from The Care File (thecarefile.com)