Waters of Columbia City Skilled Nursing Facility

Name: Waters of Columbia City Skilled Nursing Facility
Address: 640 W ELLSWORTH ST, Columbia City, IN, 46725, US
Telephone: 2602488101

640 W Ellsworth St, Columbia City, IN 46725 · Whitley County · 84 certified beds · avg 41 residents/day · certified since Jan 3, 1974

Part of chain: INFINITY HEALTHCARE CONSULTING (69 facilities, chain avg rating 2.0★)

2/5

Health inspection rating (on-site)

Serious findings on record

$60,590

Fines, last 3 years

2.77

Nurse hours/resident/day (adjusted)

What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)

Health inspection rating: ★★☆☆☆2/5 · CMS overall rating: 3/5

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 · Feb 22, 2024 · F-0684 · triggered by a complaint

The facility did not provide treatment and care that follows the doctor's orders and matches the resident's own preferences and goals.

Why it matters: Care that strays from doctor's orders or ignores the resident's wishes can lead to declining health and avoidable harm.

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: Feb 24, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Feb 22, 2024 · F-0760 · triggered by a complaint

The facility did not keep residents free from significant medication errors — such as giving the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or missing a critical medication.

Why it matters: A serious medication error can cause real harm, hospitalization, or worse.

Corrected: Feb 24, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)

All citations in the current public record (17)

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
Dec 12, 2025	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.
Dec 12, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not treat residents with dignity and respect, or did not honor their rights to make their own decisions and communicate freely. This is one of the most fundamental resident rights.
Dec 12, 2025	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not provide treatment and care that follows the doctor's orders and matches the resident's own preferences and goals.
Dec 12, 2025	D · Potential for harm, one-off	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.
Dec 12, 2025	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.
Oct 21, 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.
Oct 21, 2024	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, including safe support for residents' daily living needs.
Oct 21, 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.
Oct 21, 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.
Oct 21, 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.
Feb 22, 2024	▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off	The facility did not provide treatment and care that follows the doctor's orders and matches the resident's own preferences and goals. · from a complaint
Feb 22, 2024	▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off	The facility did not keep residents free from significant medication errors — such as giving the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or missing a critical medication. · from a complaint
Sep 29, 2023	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not honor residents' right to form and take part in resident or family groups, such as a resident council.
Sep 29, 2023	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not have enough nursing staff each day to meet every resident's needs, or did not have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift. Adequate staffing is one of the strongest predictors of good care.
Sep 29, 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.
Sep 29, 2023	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not treat residents with dignity and respect, or did not honor their rights to make their own decisions and communicate freely. This is one of the most fundamental resident rights.
Sep 29, 2023	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not keep residents' personal and medical information private and confidential.

Inspection trend by year

Citations from standard inspections stayed about the same across the last two inspection cycles (5 → 5).

Year	Citations	Serious (G–L)	Worst severity that year
2023	5	0	E
2024	7	2	J ▲
2025	5	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)

1 fine totaling $60,590.

Date	Type	Amount / length
Feb 22, 2024	Fine	$60,590

Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)

Measure	This facility	Indiana avg	U.S. avg	Where it stands
Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day)	2.77	3.42	3.95	bottom 14% in Indiana; bottom 8% in the U.S.
Registered Nurse hours	1.04	0.62	0.69	top 6% in Indiana; top 14% in the U.S.
Weekend total nurse staffing	2.45	3.01	3.50	bottom 14% in Indiana; bottom 8% in the U.S.
Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted)	0.91	0.47	0.48	top 4% in Indiana; top 8% in the U.S.
Total nursing staff turnover (%)	56.3	45.9	45.8	bottom 20% in Indiana; bottom 22% in the U.S.
RN turnover (%)	12.5	40.4	42.9	top 7% in Indiana; top 6% 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 3.09, RN 1.16, weekend 2.73. 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: 5/5 · long-stay residents: 5/5 · short-stay residents: —/5

Who owns this facility

For profit - Corporation

Owner / manager	Type	Role	Stake	Since
Johnson Memorial Hospital	Organization	5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest	100%	03/01/2013
Baker, Stephen	Individual	Contracted Managing Employee	NOT APPLICABLE	03/01/2013
Berkhouse, Steven	Individual	Corporate Director	NOT APPLICABLE	10/18/2021
Berkhouse, Steven	Individual	Corporate Officer	NOT APPLICABLE	10/18/2021
Decola, Robert	Individual	W-2 Managing Employee	NOT APPLICABLE	02/16/2019
Dunkle, David	Individual	Corporate Director	NOT APPLICABLE	03/01/2019
Dunkle, David	Individual	Corporate Officer	NOT APPLICABLE	06/01/2019
Dunkle, David	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	03/01/2019
The Waters of Columbia City Skilled Nursing Facility LLC	Organization	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	11/01/2022

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 do you make sure each resident's care follows the doctor's orders, and what changed after this citation?"
"What systems do you use to prevent medication errors, and what happens when one occurs?"
"What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
"Can you give me examples of how your staff protect residents' dignity in everyday care, like bathing and dressing?"
"How many residents here use oxygen or breathing equipment, and who checks that equipment each shift?"
"Can you show me how medications are stored and secured on the units, including controlled drugs?"
"Can we tour the resident rooms, bathrooms, and common areas today, including areas not on the usual tour route?"
"Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
"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
Miller's at Oak Pointe	2.1 mi	Columbia City, IN	★★★☆☆	3/5
Majestic Care of West Allen	10.0 mi	Fort Wayne, IN	★★★★☆	3/5
Sage Bluff Health and Rehab Center	15.6 mi	Fort Wayne, IN	★★★☆☆	4/5
Coventry Meadows	15.6 mi	Fort Wayne, IN	★★★★★	5/5
Majestic Care of Jefferson Pointe	16.1 mi	Fort Wayne, IN	★☆☆☆☆	1/5
Timbercrest Church of the Brethren Home	16.4 mi	North Manchester, IN	★★★★☆	3/5
Grace Village Health Care Facility	16.4 mi	Winona Lake, IN	★★★★★	5/5
Heritage Pointe of Huntington	17.3 mi	Huntington, IN	★★☆☆☆	2/5	abuse
Peabody Retirement Community	17.6 mi	North Manchester, IN	★★★☆☆	2/5
Kingston Health Center of Fort Wayne	18.1 mi	Fort Wayne, IN	★★★☆☆	2/5
Mason Health Care Center	18.2 mi	Warsaw, IN	★☆☆☆☆	1/5
Englewood Health & Rehabilitation Center	18.7 mi	Fort Wayne, IN	★★★★☆	4/5

Compare this facility with the 3 closest →

All facilities in Columbia City →

Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 155150.

The Care File

Visit checklist — Waters of Columbia City Skilled Nursing Facility

640 W Ellsworth St, Columbia City, IN 46725 · 2602488101

Health inspection rating 2/5 · CMS overall 3/5· Fines (3y): $60,590

Most serious findings on record:

▲ Feb 22, 2024 (F-0684, Immediate jeopardy, one-off): The facility did not provide treatment and care that follows the doctor's orders and matches the resident's own preferences and goals.
▲ Feb 22, 2024 (F-0760, Immediate jeopardy, one-off): The facility did not keep residents free from significant medication errors — such as giving the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or missing a critical medication.

Questions for the administrator:

☐ "How do you make sure each resident's care follows the doctor's orders, and what changed after this citation?"
☐ "What systems do you use to prevent medication errors, and what happens when one occurs?"
☐ "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
☐ "Can you give me examples of how your staff protect residents' dignity in everyday care, like bathing and dressing?"
☐ "How many residents here use oxygen or breathing equipment, and who checks that equipment each shift?"
☐ "Can you show me how medications are stored and secured on the units, including controlled drugs?"
☐ "Can we tour the resident rooms, bathrooms, and common areas today, including areas not on the usual tour route?"
☐ "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
☐ "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?"

While you're there, notice:

☐ Smell and cleanliness in hallways, not just the lobby
☐ How staff speak to residents; call lights answered promptly
☐ Residents up, dressed, and engaged (visit mealtimes and a weekend if you can)

Data: CMS Provider Data Catalog, version 2026-08-01 · CCN 155150 · Verify at medicare.gov/care-compare · Printed from The Care File (thecarefile.com)