Nursing home
Merkel Nursing Center
1704 N 1St, Merkel, TX 79536 · Map
For profit - Limited Liability company · 65 certified beds
Merkel Nursing Center is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Merkel, Texas. CMS rates it 1 out of 5 stars overall (4/5 for staffing, 1/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 3.78 hours per resident per day, above the Texas average of 3.40. Its most recent inspection on Dec 4, 2025 cited 21 deficiencies.
- 4 fines totaling $291,592In CMS records: 4 total penalties.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Merkel Nursing Center compares
This facility vs. the Texas and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | Texas avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 3.78 | 3.40 | 3.89 | above avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.44 | 0.44 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.04 | 2.01 | 2.34 | above avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 60.5% | 51.5% | 46.4% | above avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 21.0 | 9.1 | 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.
- Every deficiency from the February 16, 2026 inspection was corrected by March 4, 2026
Penalties in CMS records: 4 fines totaling $291,592, 4 total penalties.
What inspectors found at Merkel Nursing Center
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Immediate jeopardy
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 16, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Immediate jeopardy
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 · Feb 16, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Immediate jeopardy
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 16, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Immediate jeopardy
Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Feb 16, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Designate a qualified infection preventionist to be responsible for the infection prevent and control program in the nursing home.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Feb 16, 2026 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
Implement a program that monitors antibiotic use.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Feb 16, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that nurse aides who have worked more than 4 months, are trained and competent; and nurse aides who have worked less than 4 months are enrolled in appropriate training.
Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies · Feb 16, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies · Feb 16, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
Administration Deficiencies · Dec 4, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide behavior health training consistent with the requirements and as determined by a facility assessment.
Administration Deficiencies · Dec 4, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Include as part of its infection prevention and control program, mandatory training that includes written standards, policies, and procedures for the program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Dec 4, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Conduct mandatory training, for all staff, on the facility’s Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement Program.
Administration Deficiencies · Dec 4, 2025 · 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
- 1704 N 1St
Merkel, TX 79536 - CMS certification #
- 676053
- Ownership
- For profit - Limited Liability company
- Certified beds
- 65
- Avg residents/day
- 27.3
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 2005-06-01
- Setting
- Urban
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Merkel Nursing Center using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Staff pay 2 federal wage cases with violations found, since 2020
- Workplace safety 1 OSHA workplace safety inspection since 2022, no violations cited
Full public records, with dates and sources
Staff pay and workplace safety
Federal records about how the employer here treats its staff.
Federal wage and hour cases
The Department of Labor checks that staff are paid minimum wage and overtime as the law requires.
- Findings for Sep 28, 2023 to Sep 27, 2025. Violations found: Fair Labor Standards Act (pay and hours). Employer as DOL recorded it: Merkel Nursing Center (EMI Healthcare, LLC). Case 2007947.
- Findings for Aug 5, 2020 to Aug 4, 2022. Violations found: Overtime. Back wages: $3,467 owed to 26 employees. Employer as DOL recorded it: Merkel Nursing Center (EMI Healthcare LLC). Case 1969515.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, loaded Oct 15, 2026. Concluded cases only. The dates are the period in which DOL found violations, not when the case opened or closed. Back wages are what the employer agreed to pay; penalties are what DOL assessed. DOL does not publish a page for each case, so search the dataset by case number.
OSHA workplace safety inspections
OSHA inspects workplaces for staff safety, such as lifting, needles, chemicals and workplace violence. It does not inspect resident care.
- Mar 23, 2022: monitoring inspection, partial (health). Case closed Jun 24, 2022. No violations cited. OSHA record. OSHA recorded the employer as Emi Healthcare, LLC. Matched by street address; the name OSHA recorded differs from the community's.
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
- Hendrick Medical Center, Abilene. 16.8 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 3 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Willowcreek Rehab and Nursing, Abilene. 13.8 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Generations Home Health, Abilene. 15.1 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Merkel Drug Co. 0.5 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 79536 as metropolitan (metropolitan high commuting).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Fresenius Medical Care Abilene Lone Star, Abilene, 13.7 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
- Hospice
- 8 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 79536.
Hospice Of The Big Country, office in Abilene, 14.1 miles away, straight line
Enhabit Hospice, office in Abilene, 15.2 miles away, straight line
Kinder Hearts Hospice, office in Abilene, 15.3 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 5 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Concord Medical Group Of Texas PLLC, Eastland. 70.1 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 very low, inland flooding relatively low, wildfire relatively low, tornado relatively moderate, heat wave relatively moderate, earthquake very 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 | See above |
| OSHA workplace safety inspections since 2016 | Oct 15, 2026 | See above |
| 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 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 |
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Frequently asked questions
Is Merkel Nursing Center a good nursing home?
CMS gives Merkel Nursing Center an overall rating of 1 out of 5 stars, including 4/5 for staffing and 1/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Merkel Nursing Center staffed?
Merkel Nursing Center reports 3.78 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Texas average of 3.40.
Has Merkel Nursing Center had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 21 deficiencies.
How many beds does Merkel Nursing Center have?
Merkel Nursing Center is certified for 65 beds.