Traverse Care Center
303 Seventh Street South, Wheaton, MN 56296 · Traverse County · 44 certified beds · avg 26 residents/day · certified since Nov 13, 2024
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★★★☆4/5 · CMS overall rating: 5/5
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 (8)
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 | 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 29, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not have doctor's orders in place for a resident's immediate care at the time the resident was admitted. · from a complaint |
| Oct 30, 2024 | 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. |
| Oct 30, 2024 | 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. |
| Oct 30, 2024 | 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. |
| Oct 30, 2024 | 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. |
| Oct 30, 2024 | 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. |
| Oct 30, 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. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections decreased between the last two inspection cycles (6 → 1).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | F |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | D |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | D |
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) | 5.09 | 4.83 | 3.95 | top 37% in Minnesota; top 12% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 1.62 | 1.22 | 0.69 | top 15% in Minnesota; top 4% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 4.63 | 4.27 | 3.50 | top 29% in Minnesota; top 10% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.76 | 0.69 | 0.48 | top 30% in Minnesota; top 13% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 0.0 | 42.2 | 45.8 | — |
| RN turnover (%) | 0.0 | 38.6 | 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 4.10, RN 1.30, 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: 5/5 · long-stay residents: 5/5 · short-stay residents: —/5
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Church related
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnewaska Lutheran Home | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 100% | 08/02/2019 |
| Anderson, Faith | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/27/2019 |
| Aslagson, Kayo | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/25/2007 |
| Ehrenberg, Michelle | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2019 |
| Ehrenberg, Michelle | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2019 |
| Gallagher, Stanley | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2024 |
| Gallagher, Stanley | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/20/2025 |
| Hendrickson, Robert | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/26/2012 |
| Knoll, Christopher | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/14/2014 |
| Knoll, Christopher | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/14/2014 |
| Minnewaska Lutheran Home | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/02/2019 |
| Prause, Bruce | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/27/2022 |
| Ranum, Robert | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/31/2021 |
| Reese, Alice | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/24/2013 |
| Sletten, Melody | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/24/2021 |
| Stark, Stanley | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/28/2016 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "If my family member is able to manage their own medications, would you allow it, and how is that decided?"
- "When a new resident arrives, how do you make sure the doctor's orders for their care and medications are in place from day one?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "When abuse or theft is suspected, who do you notify, how fast, and how do you inform the family?"
- "Can you tell me what this citation involved and what steps you took to bring care back up to standard?"
- "How do you prevent bedsores for residents who can't move themselves, and how often are at-risk residents repositioned?"
- "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
- "Can you show me how medications are stored and secured on the units, including controlled drugs?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentia Health Grace Home | 16.8 mi | Graceville, MN | ★★★★★ | 4/5 |
Compare this facility with the 1 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 245638.