Nursing home
Life Care Center of Hilo
944 West Kawailani Street, Hilo, HI 96720 · Map
For profit - Corporation · Part of Life Care Centers Of America (194 facilities) · 252 certified beds
Life Care Center of Hilo is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Hilo, Hawaii. CMS rates it 3 out of 5 stars overall (4/5 for staffing, 2/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 3.65 hours per resident per day, below the Hawaii average of 4.71. Its most recent inspection on Dec 1, 2023 cited 11 deficiencies.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Life Care Center of Hilo compares
This facility vs. the Hawaii and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | Hawaii avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 3.65 | 4.71 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.98 | 1.63 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.19 | 2.73 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 32.6% | 36.5% | 46.4% | below avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 11.0 | 10.4 | 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.
What inspectors found at Life Care Center of Hilo
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
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · May 1, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies · Dec 1, 2023 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for 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 · Dec 1, 2023 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Inform resident or representatives choice to enter into binding arbitration agreement and right to refuse.
Administration Deficiencies · Dec 1, 2023 · 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 · Dec 1, 2023 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Dec 1, 2023 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Dec 1, 2023 · 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 · Dec 1, 2023 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Dec 1, 2023 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Dec 1, 2023 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Dec 1, 2023 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · May 22, 2023
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
- 944 West Kawailani Street
Hilo, HI 96720 - CMS certification #
- 125040
- Ownership
- For profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 252
- Avg residents/day
- 219.8
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1993-06-01
- Chain
- Life Care Centers Of America (194 facilities)
- Setting
- Rural
Part of Life Care Centers Of America
Life Care Centers Of America operates 194 nursing facilities across the United States. View all Life Care Centers Of America facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Life Care Center of Hilo using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Nurse 24 hours a day, transportation
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Life Care Center of Hilo says about itself, quoted from its own site. We have not checked these claims against licensing records. Ask about each one on a tour.
- Nurse on site: 24 hours a day.
Life Care Center of Hilo focuses on inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation with 24-hour skilled nursing care and a secured Alzheimer's and dementia unit.
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Provides transportation.
Transportation services
(page, checked Oct 15, 2026) - Smoke-free.
Non-smoking facility
(page, checked Oct 15, 2026)
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Hilo Benioff Medical Center, Hilo. 2.8 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 3 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Legacy Hilo Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, Hilo. 2.0 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Bayada Home Health Care, Hilo. 2.1 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Sack ‘n Save. 1.6 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 96720 as micropolitan (micropolitan core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Usrc Hilo Dialysis, Hilo, 1.7 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 2 of 5 stars)
Liberty Dialysis Hawaii - Hilo Dialysis, Hilo, 1.8 miles away, straight line (has a shift starting after 5 pm; CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Fresenius Kidney Care Hilo Lanikaula, Hilo, 1.8 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 4 of 5 stars) - Hospice
- 4 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 96720.
Dba Hawai'I Care Choices, office in Hilo, 2.6 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 4 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Hawaii Permanente Medical Group Inc, Wailuku. 122.9 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: hurricane very low, inland flooding very high, wildfire relatively low, tornado very low, earthquake relatively 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 | Nothing on record |
| FEMA flood map | See above | |
| USDA wildfire risk | Apr 15, 2026 | Not shown: FEMA rates wildfire risk here relatively 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 Life Care Center of Hilo a good nursing home?
CMS gives Life Care Center of Hilo an overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars, including 4/5 for staffing and 2/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Life Care Center of Hilo staffed?
Life Care Center of Hilo reports 3.65 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Hawaii average of 4.71.
Has Life Care Center of Hilo had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 11 deficiencies.
How many beds does Life Care Center of Hilo have?
Life Care Center of Hilo is certified for 252 beds.