Nursing home
Palmer Healthcare Center
250 Shearer Street, Palmer, MA 01069 · Map
For profit - Corporation · 61 certified beds
Palmer Healthcare Center is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Palmer, Massachusetts. CMS rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall (2/5 for staffing, 4/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 2.93 hours per resident per day, below the Massachusetts average of 3.86. Its most recent inspection on Jan 6, 2026 cited 5 deficiencies.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Palmer Healthcare Center compares
This facility vs. the Massachusetts and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | Massachusetts avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.93 | 3.86 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.44 | 0.65 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 1.74 | 2.26 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 50.0% | 39.5% | 46.4% | above avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 5.0 | 8.9 | 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.
- Every deficiency from the January 6, 2026 inspection was corrected by January 26, 2026
What inspectors found at Palmer Healthcare 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
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Jan 6, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Give the resident's representative the ability to exercise the resident's rights.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Jan 6, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Dec 16, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Honor the resident's right to be treated with respect and dignity and to retain and use personal possessions.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Dec 16, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Sep 2, 2025 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- 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 · Sep 26, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Regularly inspect all bed frames, mattresses, and bed rails (if any) for safety; and all bed rails and mattresses must attach safely to the bed frame.
Environmental Deficiencies · Sep 26, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure each resident receives and the facility provides food prepared in a form designed to meet individual needs.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Sep 26, 2024 · 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 · Sep 26, 2024 · 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 · Sep 26, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Reasonably accommodate the needs and preferences of each resident.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Sep 26, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Honor the resident's right to be treated with respect and dignity and to retain and use personal possessions.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Sep 26, 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
- 250 Shearer Street
Palmer, MA 01069 - CMS certification #
- 225763
- Ownership
- For profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 61
- Avg residents/day
- 55.8
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 2002-02-15
- Setting
- Urban
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Palmer Healthcare Center using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Nurse 24 hours a day
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Palmer 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.
- Nurse on site: 24 hours a day.
24-hour skilled nursing care
(page, checked Oct 15, 2026)
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Baystate Wing Hospital, Palmer. 0.4 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 4 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Hampden Post Acute, Wilbraham. 4.8 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Acclaim Home Health Care, Inc, Worcester. 7.4 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Walgreens. 0.7 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 01069 as metropolitan (metropolitan core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Ara-Ludlow Dialysis, LLC, Ludlow, 7.6 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 1 of 5 stars)
Fmc East Springfield Dialysis (Bma Of Massachusetts), Springfield, 11.2 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Dialysis Center Of Western Massachusetts, Chicopee, 12.4 miles away, straight line (has a shift starting after 5 pm; CMS rating 3 of 5 stars) - Hospice
- 10 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 01069.
Beacon Hospice, An Amyedisys Company, office in Springfield, 9.4 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 3 of 5 stars)
Legacy Lifecare Home Health And Hospice Care- West, office in Longmeadow, 13.3 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 5 of 5 stars)
Baystate Hospice, office in West Springfield, 15.0 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 3 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Curana Health Of Massachusetts LLC, Springfield. 9.4 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 low. By hazard: hurricane relatively moderate, inland flooding relatively moderate, wildfire very low, tornado relatively low, heat wave relatively low, 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 |
| Hurricane evacuation zone maps | Not in a mapped zone | |
| 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 Palmer Healthcare Center a good nursing home?
CMS gives Palmer Healthcare Center an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars, including 2/5 for staffing and 4/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Palmer Healthcare Center staffed?
Palmer Healthcare Center reports 2.93 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Massachusetts average of 3.86.
Has Palmer Healthcare Center had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 5 deficiencies.
How many beds does Palmer Healthcare Center have?
Palmer Healthcare Center is certified for 61 beds.