Towner County Living Ctr
228 1st Ave, Cando, ND 58324 · Towner County · 28 certified beds · avg 27 residents/day · certified since Apr 13, 1980
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 14, 2026 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not have enough support staff to safely and effectively run its food and nutrition service. |
| Jan 14, 2026 | 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. |
| Jan 14, 2026 | D · Potential for 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. · from a complaint |
| Jan 14, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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 14, 2026 | 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. |
| Sep 25, 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. |
| Sep 25, 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. |
| Sep 7, 2023 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Sep 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. · from a complaint |
| Sep 7, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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. · from a complaint |
| Sep 7, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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 |
| Sep 7, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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 |
| Sep 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. · from a complaint |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections increased between the last two inspection cycles (2 → 5).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | E |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | E |
| 2026 | 5 | 0 | 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)
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 | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 5.41 | 5.15 | 3.95 | top 41% in North Dakota; top 8% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 1.82 | 1.09 | 0.69 | top 4% in North Dakota; top 2% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 4.75 | 4.43 | 3.50 | top 33% in North Dakota; top 9% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.88 | 0.59 | 0.48 | top 10% in North Dakota; top 9% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 50.0 | 48.8 | 45.8 | top 48% in North Dakota; bottom 38% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 20.0 | 40.3 | 42.9 | top 13% in North Dakota; top 13% 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 4.31, RN 1.45, weekend 3.79. 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
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belzer, Thomas | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/26/2005 |
| Belzer, Thomas | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/22/2023 |
| Bjornstad, Randina | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/01/2014 |
| Bucher, Ben | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/31/2024 |
| Bucher, Ben | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2015 |
| Farbo, Michael | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/01/2010 |
| Gehrtz, Jenna | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/14/2024 |
| Gibbens, Michelle | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/26/2020 |
| Larson, Tammy | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/31/2024 |
| Larson, Tammy | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2008 |
| Peters, John | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/01/2012 |
| Peterson, Mark | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/01/2015 |
| Westlind, Gregory | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/26/2005 |
| Westlind, Gregory | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/22/2023 |
| Wolsky, David | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/21/2008 |
| Wolsky, David | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/22/2023 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "How is your kitchen staffed, and have meals ever been delayed because of staffing?"
- "How does your quality committee work, and can you give an example of a problem it recently identified and fixed?"
- "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
- "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?"
- "Could I join residents for a meal to see the food quality and temperature for myself?"
- "Can you show me how medications are stored and secured on the units, including controlled drugs?"
- "Does a pharmacist review every resident's medications and chart monthly, and how are their concerns acted on?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eventide Heartland | 31.1 mi | Devils Lake, ND | ★★★★☆ | 3/5 | |
| Rolette Community Care Center | 31.3 mi | Rolette, ND | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | SFF |
Compare this facility with the 2 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 355068.