River Ridge Living Center

Name: River Ridge Living Center
Address: 100 SANDY DRIVE, Amsterdam, NY, 12010, US
Telephone: 5188433503

100 Sandy Drive, Amsterdam, NY 12010 · Montgomery County · 120 certified beds · avg 113 residents/day · certified since Dec 1, 1974

1/5

Health inspection rating (on-site)

Serious findings on record

$3,387

Fines, last 3 years

3.58

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.

All citations in the current public record (37)

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
May 5, 2026	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
Mar 27, 2026	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not maintain an effective pest control program to prevent or deal with mice, insects, or other pests. · from a complaint
Mar 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	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.
Mar 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, including safe support for residents' daily living needs.
Mar 18, 2025	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.
Mar 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	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.
Mar 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not develop a resident's complete plan of care within 7 days of the full assessment, or the plan wasn't prepared, reviewed, and updated by a team of health professionals as required.
Mar 18, 2025	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. · from a complaint
Mar 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	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. · from a complaint
Mar 18, 2025	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.
Mar 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not have a licensed pharmacist review each resident's complete medication regimen and medical chart every month, or did not follow its own rules for reporting medication problems.
Mar 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	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.
Mar 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	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.
Mar 18, 2025	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
Mar 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not provide special eating equipment and utensils — like adaptive cups or easy-grip silverware — for residents who need them, along with appropriate help at meals.
Mar 18, 2025	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.
Mar 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not have a policy covering how food brought in by family and visitors is used and stored safely.
Mar 18, 2025	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. · from a complaint
Mar 18, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not maintain an effective pest control program to prevent or deal with mice, insects, or other pests.
Mar 18, 2025	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not allow residents to take their own medications when a clinical review showed they could do so safely. Residents have this right if their care team determines it's appropriate.
Mar 18, 2025	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not honor residents' right to make their own choices about their daily lives, such as when to wake up, what to eat, or how to spend their time.
Mar 18, 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
Mar 18, 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
Mar 18, 2025	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.
Mar 18, 2025	D · Potential for harm, one-off	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
Jan 10, 2023	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.
Jan 10, 2023	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not have a policy covering how food brought in by family and visitors is used and stored safely.
Jan 10, 2023	D · Potential for harm, one-off	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.
Jan 10, 2023	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.
Jan 10, 2023	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not provide food that accounts for each resident's allergies, intolerances, and personal preferences, or did not offer appealing alternatives.
Jan 10, 2023	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not provide special eating equipment and utensils — like adaptive cups or easy-grip silverware — for residents who need them, along with appropriate help at meals.
Sep 25, 2020	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.
Sep 25, 2020	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.
Sep 25, 2020	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.
Sep 25, 2020	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not have a licensed pharmacist review each resident's complete medication regimen and medical chart every month, or did not follow its own rules for reporting medication problems.
Sep 25, 2020	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not dispose of garbage and refuse properly.
Sep 25, 2020	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.

Inspection trend by year

Citations from standard inspections increased between the last two inspection cycles (6 → 22).

Year	Citations	Worst severity that year
2020	6	E
2023	6	E
2025	23	E
2026	2	E

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 $3,387.

Date	Type	Amount / length
Jan 30, 2024	Fine	$3,387

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

Measure	This facility	New York avg	U.S. avg	Where it stands
Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day)	3.58	3.58	3.95	top 41% in New York; bottom 41% in the U.S.
Registered Nurse hours	0.43	0.68	0.69	bottom 19% in New York; bottom 26% in the U.S.
Weekend total nurse staffing	3.13	3.13	3.50	top 42% in New York; bottom 38% in the U.S.
Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted)	0.19	0.48	0.48	bottom 11% in New York; bottom 10% in the U.S.
Total nursing staff turnover (%)	67.9	40.3	45.8	bottom 4% in New York; bottom 7% in the U.S.
RN turnover (%)	88.2	39.8	42.9	bottom 1% in New York; bottom 2% 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 3.12, RN 0.37, weekend 2.73. 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: 3/5 · long-stay residents: 3/5 · short-stay residents: 3/5

Who owns this facility

For profit - Limited Liability company

Owner / manager	Type	Role	Stake	Since
Braunstein, Edward	Individual	5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest	25%	02/13/2013
Braunstein, Michael	Individual	Direct Ownership Interest	NOT APPLICABLE	02/13/2013
Einhorn, Benjamin	Individual	Direct Ownership Interest	NOT APPLICABLE	02/13/2013
Gellis, Cheryl	Individual	5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest	5%	01/01/2014
Hirsch, Daniel	Individual	Direct Ownership Interest	NOT APPLICABLE	01/01/2014
Ruthie Hirsch Estate	Organization	Direct Ownership Interest	NOT APPLICABLE	08/28/2013
Braunstein, Edward	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	01/01/2014
Braunstein, Edward	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	08/28/2013
Braunstein, Michael	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	02/13/2013
Einhorn, Benjamin	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	02/13/2013
Gellis, Cheryl	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	01/01/2014
Hirsch, Daniel	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	01/01/2014
McClarren, Cynthia	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	02/01/2024
McClarren, Cynthia	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	04/09/2025
Ruthie Hirsch Estate	Organization	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	08/28/2013
Waldman, Jonathan	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	01/01/2014
Waldman, Jonathan	Individual	ADP of the SNF	NOT APPLICABLE	01/01/2014

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 keep residents' medical records accurate, complete, and secure?"
"How is pest control handled here, and when was the last treatment or inspection?"
"Can you give me examples of how your staff protect residents' dignity in everyday care, like bathing and dressing?"
"Can we tour the resident rooms, bathrooms, and common areas today, including areas not on the usual tour route?"
"Walk me through what happens when a resident or family files a grievance — who responds and how fast?"
"Can you show me an example care plan, and how are families included when it's created and updated?"
"Who is on the team that builds each resident's care plan, and how quickly is it in place after admission?"
"What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
"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
Wilkinson Residential Health Care Facility	3.4 mi	Amsterdam, NY	★★★☆☆	3/5
Capstone Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing	5.3 mi	Amsterdam, NY	★☆☆☆☆	1/5
Wells Rehabilitation and Nursing Center	9.6 mi	Johnstown, NY	★☆☆☆☆	2/5	abuse
Nathan Littauer Hospital Nursing Home	11.0 mi	Gloversville, NY	★☆☆☆☆	1/5
Fulton Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare	12.4 mi	Gloversville, NY	★★☆☆☆	2/5
Baptist Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center	14.6 mi	Scotia, NY	★☆☆☆☆	1/5
Glendale Home-Schdy Cnty Dept Social Services	15.7 mi	Scotia, NY	★★☆☆☆	2/5
Schenectady Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing	17.1 mi	Schenectady, NY	★★☆☆☆	1/5
Pathways Nursing and Rehabilitation Center	17.3 mi	Niskayuna, NY	★★★★☆	3/5
Palatine Nursing Home	18.4 mi	Palatine Bridge, NY	★☆☆☆☆	2/5

Compare this facility with the 3 closest →

All facilities in Amsterdam →

Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 335422.

The Care File

Visit checklist — River Ridge Living Center

100 Sandy Drive, Amsterdam, NY 12010 · 5188433503

Health inspection rating 1/5 · CMS overall 1/5· Fines (3y): $3,387

Questions for the administrator:

☐ "How do you keep residents' medical records accurate, complete, and secure?"
☐ "How is pest control handled here, and when was the last treatment or inspection?"
☐ "Can you give me examples of how your staff protect residents' dignity in everyday care, like bathing and dressing?"
☐ "Can we tour the resident rooms, bathrooms, and common areas today, including areas not on the usual tour route?"
☐ "Walk me through what happens when a resident or family files a grievance — who responds and how fast?"
☐ "Can you show me an example care plan, and how are families included when it's created and updated?"
☐ "Who is on the team that builds each resident's care plan, and how quickly is it in place after admission?"
☐ "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
☐ "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 335422 · Verify at medicare.gov/care-compare · Printed from The Care File (thecarefile.com)