Nursing home
Watsonville Nursing Center
535 Auto Center Drive, Watsonville, CA 95076 · Map
For profit - Limited Liability company · Part of Cambridge Healthcare Services (32 facilities) · 87 certified beds
Watsonville Nursing Center is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Watsonville, California. CMS rates it 3 out of 5 stars overall (4/5 for staffing, 3/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 4.03 hours per resident per day, below the California average of 4.51. Its most recent inspection on Jan 9, 2026 cited 10 deficiencies.
- 1 fine totaling $44,488In 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 Watsonville Nursing 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) | 4.03 | 4.51 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.61 | 0.65 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.49 | 2.64 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 31.4% | 38.1% | 46.4% | below avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 10.0 | 15.4 | 9.5 | below 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 $44,488, 1 total penalty.
What inspectors found at Watsonville Nursing Center
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Jan 9, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Jan 9, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure food and drink is palatable, attractive, and at a safe and appetizing temperature.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Jan 9, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide safe, appropriate pain management for a resident who requires such services.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Jan 9, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure each resident’s drug regimen must be free from unnecessary drugs.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Jan 9, 2026 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
Provide safe, appropriate dialysis care/services for a resident who requires such services.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Jan 9, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Jan 9, 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 · Jan 9, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
PASARR screening for Mental disorders or Intellectual Disabilities
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Jan 9, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Minimal
Provide rooms that are at least 80 square feet per resident in multiple rooms and 100 square feet for single resident rooms.
Environmental Deficiencies · Jan 9, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Aug 19, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Aug 19, 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
- 535 Auto Center Drive
Watsonville, CA 95076 - CMS certification #
- 055240
- Ownership
- For profit - Limited Liability company
- Certified beds
- 87
- Avg residents/day
- 75.3
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1978-05-01
- Chain
- Cambridge Healthcare Services (32 facilities)
- Setting
- Urban
Part of Cambridge Healthcare Services
Cambridge Healthcare Services operates 32 nursing facilities across the United States. View all Cambridge Healthcare Services facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Watsonville Nursing Center using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Workplace safety 2 OSHA workplace safety inspections since 2020, 3 violations cited
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Watsonville Nursing 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.
- Apartment types named: companion suite, semi-private room.
We offer private, semi-private and shared rooms that are warm and inviting.
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026)
Staff pay and workplace safety
Federal records about how the employer here treats its staff.
OSHA workplace safety inspections
OSHA inspects workplaces for staff safety, such as lifting, needles, chemicals and workplace violence. It does not inspect resident care.
- Apr 13, 2023: programmed, related to another inspection inspection, complete (safety). Case closed Jul 25, 2023. 1 violation cited (1 other). Penalties: $280 proposed, $280 now. OSHA record. OSHA recorded the employer as CF Watsonville East, LLC.
Details
- Other than serious: Cited rule 2340.16(c). Penalty $280 proposed, $280 now. To be fixed by Jul 24, 2023.
- Oct 13, 2020: referral inspection, partial (health). Case closed Jul 11, 2022. 2 violations cited (1 serious, 1 other). Penalties: $20,250 proposed, $8,750 now. OSHA record. OSHA recorded the employer as CF Watsonville West, LLC.
Details
- Other than serious: Cited rule 5199(C)(1). Penalty $6,750 proposed, $2,000 now. Contested by the employer.
- Serious: Cited rule 5199(C)(5)(C). Penalty $13,500 proposed, $6,750 now. To be fixed by Aug 2, 2021. Contested by the employer.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement data, as of Oct 15, 2026, inspections since 2016. Penalties can change while a case is open or contested.
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Watsonville Community Hospital, Watsonville. 1.5 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 2 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Watsonville Post Acute Center, Watsonville. 0.0 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Healing Touch Of California Home Health Agency Inc, Gilroy. 11.7 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- CVS Pharmacy. 0.3 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 95076 as metropolitan (metropolitan core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Shc Watsonville, Watsonville, 1.3 miles away, straight line (has a shift starting after 5 pm; CMS rating 5 of 5 stars)
Srs-Watsonville Dialysis, LLC, Watsonville, 1.4 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 2 of 5 stars)
Shc Capitola, Capitola, 11.7 miles away, straight line (has a shift starting after 5 pm; CMS rating 5 of 5 stars) - Hospice
- 15 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 95076.
Bonita Springs Hospice Care LLC, office in Gilroy, 12.8 miles away, straight line
Hospice Of Santa Cruz County, office in Scotts Valley, 16.2 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 4 of 5 stars)
Bridge Hospice, office in Salinas, 17.0 miles away, straight line - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Christopher Ogrady, MD, Watsonville. 1.4 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)
- FEMA National Risk Index
- Overall: relatively high. By hazard: inland flooding relatively high, wildfire very low, tornado very low, heat wave relatively low, earthquake very high. 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 | See above |
| FEMA flood map | See above | |
| USDA wildfire risk | Apr 15, 2026 | Not shown: FEMA rates wildfire risk here very low |
| 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 Watsonville Nursing Center a good nursing home?
CMS gives Watsonville Nursing Center an overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars, including 4/5 for staffing and 3/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Watsonville Nursing Center staffed?
Watsonville Nursing Center reports 4.03 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the California average of 4.51.
Has Watsonville Nursing Center had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 10 deficiencies.
How many beds does Watsonville Nursing Center have?
Watsonville Nursing Center is certified for 87 beds.