Union County Nursing Home
164 Nursing Home Circle, Blairsville, GA 30512 · Union County · 150 certified beds · avg 110 residents/day · certified since Oct 1, 2005
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.
All citations in the current public record (14)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 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. |
| Oct 2, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility allowed residents to lose the ability to do daily activities — like bathing, dressing, and eating — when there was no medical reason for the decline. Good care helps residents keep the abilities they have. |
| Oct 2, 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. |
| Jul 1, 2024 | F · Potential for harm, facility-wide | The facility did not serve food and drinks that were appetizing, attractive, and at a safe and pleasant temperature. · from a complaint |
| Jul 1, 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. · from a complaint |
| Jul 1, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not provide pharmacy services that meet each resident's needs, or did not employ or contract with a licensed pharmacist. · from a complaint |
| Jul 1, 2024 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Jul 1, 2024 | 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 |
| Jul 1, 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. · from a complaint |
| Jan 12, 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. |
| Jan 12, 2023 | 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. |
| Jan 12, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, including safe support for residents' daily living needs. |
| Jan 12, 2023 | 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. |
| Jan 12, 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 decreased between the last two inspection cycles (6 → 3).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | F |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | F |
| 2025 | 3 | 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 | Georgia avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 3.85 | 3.54 | 3.95 | top 23% in Georgia; top 46% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.57 | 0.50 | 0.69 | top 33% in Georgia; bottom 48% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 2.74 | 3.09 | 3.50 | bottom 33% in Georgia; bottom 18% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.42 | 0.35 | 0.48 | top 23% in Georgia; top 44% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 37.3 | 46.0 | 45.8 | top 29% in Georgia; top 30% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 31.3 | 44.5 | 42.9 | top 29% in Georgia; top 32% 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 3.54, RN 0.52, weekend 2.51. Staffing rating: 3/5.
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: 2/5 · long-stay residents: 2/5 · short-stay residents: 2/5
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bierschenk, Kevin | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/25/2019 |
| Bierschenk, Kevin | Individual | Trustee of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/25/2019 |
| Bierschenk, Kevin | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/25/2019 |
| Burnette, Christal | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2021 |
| Burnette, Christal | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2021 |
| Davenport, Rick | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2019 |
| Gary, Thomas | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2019 |
| Gay, Michael | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2016 |
| Gay, Michael | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2016 |
| Owenby, Greg | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2019 |
| Paris, Dinah | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/18/2010 |
| Rowe, Steven | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2015 |
| Sanders, Alan | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/21/2025 |
| Self, Debra | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/10/2016 |
| Self, Debra | Individual | Trustee of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/10/2016 |
| Self, Debra | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/10/2016 |
| Townsend, Nicholas | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/15/2016 |
| Townsend, Nicholas | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/15/2016 |
| Townsend, Nicholas | Individual | Trustee of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/15/2016 |
| Townsend, Nicholas | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/15/2016 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "Can you show me an example care plan, and how are families included when it's created and updated?"
- "How do you help residents maintain their daily living skills, and how do you measure whether it's working?"
- "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?"
- "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
- "How does your pharmacist review residents' medications, and how quickly can you fill new or urgent prescriptions?"
- "What is your approach to psychiatric medications — how do you try non-drug options first and work to reduce doses over time?"
- "How many aides are on each shift, and how do you make sure every resident gets timely help with bathing, dressing, and meals?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatuge Regional Nursing Home | 12.7 mi | Hiawassee, GA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Clay County Health and Rehabilitation | 13.9 mi | Hayesville, NC | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Murphy Rehabilitation & Nursing | 15.7 mi | Murphy, NC | ★★★★☆ | 4/5 | |
| Friendship Health and Rehab | 19.9 mi | Cleveland, GA | ★★★★★ | 5/5 |
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Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 115695.