Three Links Care Center
815 Forest Avenue, Northfield, MN 55057 · Rice County · 92 certified beds · avg 78 residents/day · certified since Sep 1, 1987
Part of chain: ST. FRANCIS HEALTH SERVICES (14 facilities, chain avg rating 2.8★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★★☆☆3/5 · 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)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Sep 19, 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 12, 2025 (Past Non-Compliance)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Oct 13, 2023 · 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: Oct 3, 2023 (Past Non-Compliance)
All citations in the current public record (16)
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 19, 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 |
| Jul 31, 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. |
| Jul 31, 2025 | 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. |
| Jul 31, 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. |
| Jul 31, 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. |
| May 23, 2024 | 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. |
| May 23, 2024 | 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. |
| May 23, 2024 | 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. |
| May 23, 2024 | 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. |
| May 23, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide the care needed to maintain or improve residents' movement and flexibility — such as range-of-motion exercises — leading to avoidable decline. |
| May 23, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide routine dental care and 24-hour emergency dental care for residents. |
| May 23, 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. |
| May 23, 2024 | B · Minimal risk, repeated | The facility did not properly hold, secure, and manage residents' personal money that was deposited with it for safekeeping. Facilities holding residents' funds must keep careful, honest accounts. |
| Oct 13, 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. · from a complaint |
| Aug 17, 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. |
| Aug 17, 2023 | 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. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections decreased between the last two inspection cycles (8 → 4).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | 1 | J ▲ |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | D |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 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)
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 | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 4.56 | 4.83 | 3.95 | bottom 40% in Minnesota; top 21% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 1.09 | 1.22 | 0.69 | bottom 47% in Minnesota; top 12% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 4.08 | 4.27 | 3.50 | bottom 43% in Minnesota; top 21% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.65 | 0.69 | 0.48 | top 44% in Minnesota; top 19% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 38.8 | 42.2 | 45.8 | top 48% in Minnesota; top 33% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 36.4 | 38.6 | 42.9 | bottom 50% in Minnesota; top 40% 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 4.16, RN 1.00, weekend 3.72. 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: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 4/5 · short-stay residents: 5/5
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bach, Curtis | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/28/2024 |
| Bach, Curtis | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/28/2024 |
| Bach, Curtis | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/28/2024 |
| Bach, Curtis | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/28/2024 |
| Big Stone Therapies, INC | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/03/2015 |
| Big Stone Therapies, INC | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/23/2025 |
| Breyer, Carmen | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/06/2022 |
| Breyer, Carmen | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/06/2022 |
| Caspers, Megan | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/29/2014 |
| Caspers, Megan | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/29/2014 |
| Denzer, Cynthia | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/02/2024 |
| Denzer, Cynthia | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/02/2024 |
| Donacik, Ronald | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 09/03/2025 |
| Donacik, Ronald | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 09/03/2025 |
| Dripps, Daniel | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2016 |
| Dripps, Daniel | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2016 |
| Ehlers, Douglas | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2023 |
| Ehlers, Douglas | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/01/2023 |
| Ehlers, Douglas | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2023 |
| Ehlers, Douglas | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2023 |
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?"
- "What choices do residents have over their daily schedule, like meal times, bathing, and activities?"
- "Who completes resident assessments here, and how do you check them for accuracy?"
- "How many aides are on each shift, and how do you make sure every resident gets timely help with bathing, dressing, and meals?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "If my family member is able to manage their own medications, would you allow it, and how is that decided?"
- "If you manage my family member's personal funds, how often will we get statements and how quickly are funds returned?"
- "Can you show me an example care plan, and how are families included when it's created and updated?"
- "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 Emeralds at Fairbault LLC | 12.4 mi | Faribault, MN | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Trinity Care Center | 12.8 mi | Farmington, MN | ★★★★★ | 3/5 | |
| Apple Valley Village Health Care Center | 19.4 mi | Apple Valley, MN | ★★★★★ | 4/5 |
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Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 245450.