Sterling Nursing and Rehab
309 Fifth St, Sterling City, TX 76951 · Sterling County · 44 certified beds · avg 22 residents/day · certified since Jun 18, 2001
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★★★☆4/5 · CMS overall rating: 4/5
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)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · Jun 22, 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 (G): One or a few residents were actually harmed — physically or emotionally — though not put in immediate danger of serious injury or death.
Corrected: Jul 14, 2023 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (13)
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 11, 2025 | 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. |
| Sep 11, 2025 | F · Potential for harm, facility-wide | The facility did not keep all essential equipment working safely — things like heating and cooling systems, kitchen equipment, and medical devices. · from a complaint |
| Sep 11, 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 |
| Sep 11, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not prepare and serve food in a form that meets each resident's individual needs — for example, chopped, pureed, or softened food for residents with chewing or swallowing problems. · from a complaint |
| Aug 8, 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. |
| Aug 8, 2024 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Aug 8, 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. · from a complaint |
| Aug 8, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility used bed rails without first trying safer alternatives, or without assessing the resident's safety risk, discussing the risks and benefits with the resident or family, getting consent, and installing the rails correctly. |
| Jun 22, 2023 | ▲ 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. |
| Jun 22, 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. |
| Jun 22, 2023 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not make sure its nurses and nurse aides had the skills and training needed to properly care for every resident. |
| Jun 22, 2023 | 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 22, 2023 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility's bedrooms did not give residents visual privacy — such as curtains or dividers — when privacy is needed. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections stayed about the same across the last two inspection cycles (4 → 4).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | G ▲ |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | F |
| 2025 | 4 | 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)
0 fines totaling $0, plus 1 Medicare payment denial period.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2024 | Payment Denial | 27 days from Nov 23, 2024 |
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) | 6.18 | 3.46 | 3.95 | top 1% in Texas; top 3% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.48 | 0.44 | 0.69 | top 30% in Texas; bottom 34% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 5.01 | 3.04 | 3.50 | top 2% in Texas; top 6% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.42 | 0.34 | 0.48 | top 23% in Texas; top 45% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 53.3 | 55.3 | 45.8 | bottom 47% in Texas; bottom 29% in the U.S. |
| 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 5.35, RN 0.41, weekend 4.34. Staffing rating: 4/5.
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: 4/5 · short-stay residents: —/5
Who owns this facility
Government - County
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling County Nursing Home | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 100% | 07/20/2001 |
| Counts, Belinda | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/01/2024 |
| Counts, Belinda | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/01/2024 |
| Fowler, Jason | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2020 |
| Fowler, Jason | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2020 |
| Hunt, John | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2020 |
| Hunt, John | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2020 |
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?"
- "How do you inspect and maintain essential equipment, and how quickly are repairs made?"
- "How many residents here use oxygen or breathing equipment, and who checks that equipment each shift?"
- "How do you handle residents who need modified food textures, and how do you make those meals appetizing?"
- "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
- "Can you show me an example care plan, and how are families included when it's created and updated?"
- "What alternatives do you try before using bed rails, and how do you involve families in that decision?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Lee Care Center | 29.0 mi | Robert Lee, TX | ★★★★★ | 5/5 | |
| Park Plaza Nursing and Rehabilitation Center | 38.8 mi | San Angelo, TX | ★★★☆☆ | 4/5 | |
| Cedar Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center | 39.1 mi | San Angelo, TX | ★★★★☆ | 4/5 | |
| Mitchell County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center | 39.2 mi | Colorado City, TX | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Regency House | 39.2 mi | San Angelo, TX | ★★★☆☆ | 4/5 | |
| Big Spring Center for Skilled Care | 39.5 mi | Big Spring, TX | ★★★☆☆ | 4/5 | |
| Parkview Skilled Care and Rehabilitation | 39.8 mi | Big Spring, TX | ★★★★☆ | 4/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
All facilities in Sterling City →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 675880.