Sandy Springs Center for Nursing and Healing LLC
1500 S Johnson Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30319 · De Kalb County · 165 certified beds · avg 144 residents/day · certified since Feb 22, 1990
Part of chain: EMPIRE CARE CENTERS (20 facilities, chain avg rating 1.9★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★☆☆☆2/5 · 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 · May 7, 2023 · F-0656
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.
Why it matters: Without a complete, working care plan, important needs can slip through the cracks and no one is accountable for results.
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 19, 2023 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · May 7, 2023 · 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 (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 19, 2023 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · May 7, 2023 · F-0726
The facility did not make sure its nurses and nurse aides had the skills and training needed to properly care for every resident.
Why it matters: Undertrained caregivers are more likely to miss warning signs and make care mistakes.
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 19, 2023 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (36)
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 16, 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. |
| Apr 16, 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 16, 2026 | 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. |
| Apr 16, 2026 | 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. |
| Apr 16, 2026 | 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). |
| Apr 16, 2026 | 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. |
| Apr 16, 2026 | 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. |
| Apr 16, 2026 | 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. |
| Dec 19, 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. · from a complaint |
| Dec 19, 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 |
| Dec 19, 2025 | 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 |
| Apr 10, 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. · from a complaint |
| Apr 10, 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 |
| Apr 10, 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. · from a complaint |
| Apr 10, 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 |
| Apr 10, 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 |
| Apr 10, 2025 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Apr 10, 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. · from a complaint |
| Apr 10, 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. · from a complaint |
| May 7, 2023 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, 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. |
| May 7, 2023 | ▲ 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. |
| May 7, 2023 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off | The facility did not make sure its nurses and nurse aides had the skills and training needed to properly care for every resident. |
| May 7, 2023 | 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. |
| May 7, 2023 | 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. |
| May 7, 2023 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not try to gradually reduce doses of mood- and mind-altering medications or use non-drug approaches first, as required, or used 'as needed' psychiatric drugs without proper limits. |
| May 7, 2023 | 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. |
| May 7, 2023 | 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. |
| May 7, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not give residents (and their representatives and the ombudsman, a state advocate for residents) proper advance notice before a transfer or discharge, including information about their right to appeal. |
| May 7, 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. |
| May 7, 2023 | 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. |
| May 7, 2023 | 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. |
| May 7, 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. |
| May 7, 2023 | 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. |
| May 7, 2023 | 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. |
| May 7, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not run an ongoing quality assurance committee that reviews care problems and creates plans to fix them. |
| May 7, 2023 | 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. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections stayed about the same across the last two inspection cycles (8 → 8).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 17 | 3 | J ▲ |
| 2025 | 11 | 0 | F |
| 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)
No fines or payment denials in the published 3-year window.
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | Georgia avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 3.22 | 3.54 | 3.95 | bottom 36% in Georgia; bottom 23% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.38 | 0.50 | 0.69 | bottom 39% in Georgia; bottom 19% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 2.87 | 3.09 | 3.50 | bottom 41% in Georgia; bottom 24% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.22 | 0.35 | 0.48 | bottom 31% in Georgia; bottom 15% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 70.5 | 46.0 | 45.8 | bottom 4% in Georgia; bottom 5% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 71.4 | 44.5 | 42.9 | bottom 12% in Georgia; bottom 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 3.19, RN 0.37, weekend 2.84. 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: 3/5 · short-stay residents: 4/5
Who owns this facility
For profit - Limited Liability company
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire Ga 3 Holdco LLC | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 100% | 05/01/2022 |
| Ensh Ga 3 LLC | Organization | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 50% | 05/01/2022 |
| Nmga3 JV Member LLC | Organization | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 50% | 05/01/2022 |
| Burney, Linda | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/01/2025 |
| Burney, Linda | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/29/2025 |
| Cole, Judellia | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/22/2025 |
| Cole, Judellia | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/22/2025 |
| Donath, Barry | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Donath, Barry | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Donath, Barry | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Ellis, Renee | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Ellis, Renee | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Empire Care Centers LLC | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Empire Care Centers LLC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/31/2025 |
| Hardy, Leanthony | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Hardy, Leanthony | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Heller, Shlomo | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Jackson, Victoria | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Jackson, Victoria | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
| Klinczar, Christie | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2022 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "Can you show me an example care plan, and how are families included when it's created and updated?"
- "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
- "How do you verify that your nurses and aides have the skills to care for residents with needs like my family member's?"
- "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "How do you explain health changes and treatment options to residents and their families?"
- "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?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pruitthealth - Brookhaven | 1.8 mi | Atlanta, GA | ★★☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Perimeter Rehabilitation Suites by Harborview | 2.1 mi | Atlanta, GA | —/5 | SFF | |
| Lenbrook | 3.1 mi | Atlanta, GA | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| The William Breman Jewish Home | 5.1 mi | Atlanta, GA | ★★★★★ | 5/5 | |
| Nurse Care of Buckhead | 5.1 mi | Atlanta, GA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | SFF |
| A.g. Rhodes Home Wesley Woods | 5.5 mi | Atlanta, GA | ★★★★☆ | 3/5 | |
| Terraces at Peachtree Hills Place, the | 6.1 mi | Atlanta, GA | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| Briarwood Health Center by Harborview, LLC | 6.6 mi | Tucker, GA | ★★★☆☆ | 4/5 | |
| Buckhead Center for Nursing & Healing | 6.7 mi | Atlanta, GA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| East Cobb Center for Nursing and Healing LLC | 6.9 mi | Marietta, GA | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Parkside at Budd Terrace Operating Company LLC | 7.0 mi | Atlanta, GA | ★★☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Pruitthealth - Virginia Park | 8.3 mi | Atlanta, GA | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 115504.