Nursing home
Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center
1391 Madison Avenue, El Cajon, CA 92021 · Map
For profit - Corporation · Part of Pacs Group (264 facilities) · 96 certified beds
Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center is a Medicare-certified nursing home in El Cajon, California. CMS rates it 3 out of 5 stars overall (3/5 for staffing, 2/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 4.23 hours per resident per day, below the California average of 4.51. Its most recent inspection on Dec 12, 2024 cited 19 deficiencies.
- 1 fine totaling $11,408In CMS records: 1 total penalty.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center compares
This facility vs. the California and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | California avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 4.23 | 4.51 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.43 | 0.65 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.54 | 2.64 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 36.7% | 38.1% | 46.4% | below avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 19.0 | 15.4 | 9.5 | above avg |
Staffing
Hours per resident per day as reported to CMS. Higher numbers indicate more direct care time.
Staff turnover
Lower turnover typically indicates better working conditions and continuity of care. National average for nursing staff is 46.4%.
Recent health inspection
CMS inspects nursing facilities regularly. Deficiencies are categorized by severity.
Penalties in CMS records: 1 fine totaling $11,408, 1 total penalty.
What inspectors found at Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Actual harm
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Feb 12, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Feb 12, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that nurses and nurse aides have the appropriate competencies to care for every resident in a way that maximizes each resident's well being.
Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies · Feb 12, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide basic life support, including CPR, prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel , subject to physician orders and the resident’s advance directives.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Feb 12, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Feb 12, 2026 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Feb 12, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Aug 11, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure the transfer/discharge meets the resident's needs/preferences and that the resident is prepared for a safe transfer/discharge.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Aug 11, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Plan the resident's discharge to meet the resident's goals and needs.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Apr 24, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Apr 24, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Dec 23, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Dec 23, 2024 · Full report (PDF)
Read the full inspection reports on Medicare.gov Each inspection there has a “Read the full report” link with the inspectors’ written findings.
About this facility
- Address
- 1391 Madison Avenue
El Cajon, CA 92021 - CMS certification #
- 055064
- Ownership
- For profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 96
- Avg residents/day
- 88.7
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1967-01-01
- Chain
- Pacs Group (264 facilities)
- Setting
- Urban
Part of Pacs Group
Pacs Group operates 264 nursing facilities across the United States. View all Pacs Group facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Respite stays, nurse 24 hours a day, works with hospice, diabetes care, behavioral support
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center says about itself, quoted from its own site. We have not checked these claims against licensing records. Ask about each one on a tour.
- Offers respite or short-term stays.
Respite Care
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Nurse on site: 24 hours a day.
24/7 Nursing Care
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Offers hospice care on site or works with hospice providers.
Hospice Services
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Offers diabetes care.
Diabetes Care
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Offers behavioral support.
Our secure behavioral health unit was designed to help patients with mental wellness issues including Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and more.
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Provides transportation.
Transportation to appointments
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026)
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Grossmont Hospital, La Mesa. 4.8 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 4 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Granite Hills Healthcare & Wellness Centre, LLC, El Cajon. 0.0 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Sacred Heart Health Care Providers Inc, El Cajon. 0.5 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Walgreens. 0.4 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 92021 as metropolitan (metropolitan core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Fresenius Medical Care Balboa East County, El Cajon, 0.3 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 4 of 5 stars)
Rai - Fletcher Parkway - El Cajon, El Cajon, 2.6 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Fresenius Medical Care Balboa La Mesa, La Mesa, 4.1 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars) - Hospice
- 79 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 92021.
Orange Coast Hospice, Inc, office in El Cajon, 0.5 miles away, straight line
Together Hospice Care LLC, office in La Mesa, 6.4 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 5 of 5 stars)
Anc Corporation, office in La Mesa, 6.8 miles away, straight line - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Del Sur Healthcare, El Cajon. 2.0 miles away, straight line. 1 geriatric medicine doctor listed there.
Distances are straight lines from the community, not driving distance. Hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors come from CMS provider data (CMS, hospital list updated Jul 22, 2026). Star ratings are CMS’s own.
Emergency and natural hazard risk
Public hazard maps for this location. Ask the community about its emergency plan, its generator and where residents would go in an evacuation.
- Flood zone
- Outside the high and moderate risk flood areas on FEMA's flood map (Zone X, minimal flood hazard, or not studied). (FEMA flood map)
- Wildfire risk to homes
- In El Cajon, CA, risk to homes is greater than 66% of communities in California and 92% of communities nationwide. USDA rates the whole town or city, not this address. (USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities, April 2026)
- FEMA National Risk Index
- Overall: relatively low. By hazard: hurricane very low, inland flooding relatively moderate, wildfire relatively high, tornado very low, heat wave relatively moderate, earthquake relatively low. These are FEMA’s ratings for the census tract, compared with tracts nationwide. (FEMA, December 2025)
A flood zone describes the map at this point, not the building's elevation. In an emergency, follow the local emergency management agency.
What we checked
Every public source we searched for this community. “Nothing on record” means we found no record that matched it. A record can be missed when a name or address differs.
| Source | Data as of | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour cases | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| OSHA workplace safety inspections since 2016 | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| FEMA flood map | See above | |
| USDA wildfire risk | Apr 15, 2026 | See above |
| FEMA National Risk Index | See above | |
| CMS hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors; OpenStreetMap pharmacies | See above | |
| HUD Multifamily Properties - Assisted | Jul 6, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| State Veterans Homes (NASVH directory) | Sep 20, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Hospice - General Information | Aug 19, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Home Health Care Agencies | May 27, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| The community’s own website | See above |
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Frequently asked questions
Is Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center a good nursing home?
CMS gives Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center an overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars, including 3/5 for staffing and 2/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center staffed?
Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center reports 4.23 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the California average of 4.51.
Has Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 19 deficiencies.
How many beds does Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center have?
Cottonwood Canyon Healthcare Center is certified for 96 beds.