Nursing HomeInspections

Driftwood Healthcare Center - Santa Cruz

Nursing home in Santa Cruz, CA

Medicare & Medicaid certified4★ overall (CMS)

Call (831) 475-6323Send a messageMap ↗

Public-record details

Address
675 24th Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Phone
(831) 475-6323
Listed under
For-profit, 4–5 star overall rating, No fines in 3 years
Medicare CCN
055109
Overall star rating
4 of 5 ★★★★☆
Health inspection rating
3 of 5
Staffing rating
4 of 5
Quality measures rating
5 of 5
Certified beds
92
Average residents per day
85
Ownership
For-profit, limited Liability company
Legal business name
Driftwood Santa Cruz Operating Company LP
Chain
Mariner Health Care (17 facilities)
Certified for
Medicare and Medicaid
First approved by Medicare/Medicaid
Jun 1, 1969
Changed ownership in last 12 months
No
Continuing care retirement community
No
Located inside a hospital
No
Resident or family council
Resident council
Sprinklers in all required areas
Yes

CMS certification number 055109. Source: CMS Nursing Home Provider Information, Health Deficiencies and Penalties (record). Data as of 2026-09-30.

Inspection record

Most recent standard health inspection: Dec 12, 2025. CMS lists 51 health citations for this facility across its last three standard inspection cycles and complaint inspections (Aug 19, 2022 to Dec 12, 2025): 7 from complaint inspections, 3 at the “actual harm” level or higher.

InspectionCitationSeverity
Dec 12, 2025Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.
Pharmacy Service
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Dec 12, 2025Try different approaches before using a bed rail. If a bed rail is needed, the facility must (1) assess a resident for safety risk; (2) review these risks and benefits with…
Quality of Life and Care
E
Potential for more than minimal harm, pattern
Dec 12, 2025Ensure 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…
Pharmacy Service
E
Potential for more than minimal harm, pattern
Dec 12, 2025Ensure each resident receives and the facility provides food prepared in a form designed to meet individual needs.
Nutrition and Dietary
E
Potential for more than minimal harm, pattern
Dec 12, 2025Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Nutrition and Dietary
E
Potential for more than minimal harm, pattern
Dec 12, 2025Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control
E
Potential for more than minimal harm, pattern
Aug 22, 2025Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation · complaint inspection
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Oct 2, 2024Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care · complaint inspection
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Jun 24, 2024Honor the resident's right to request, refuse, and/or discontinue treatment, to participate in or refuse to participate in experimental research, and to formulate an advance…
Resident Rights
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Jun 24, 2024Keep residents' personal and medical records private and confidential.
Resident Rights
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Jun 24, 2024Develop 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
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated
Jun 24, 2024Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Quality of Life and Care
D
Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated

Showing the 12 most recent of 51. Full inspection reports are on Medicare Care Compare.

Severity letters follow CMS's scope-and-severity grid: A–C potential for minimal harm, D–F potential for more than minimal harm, G–I actual harm, J–L immediate jeopardy. Most citations are corrected; a citation is what inspectors found on that date. Source: CMS Health Deficiencies file, processed Aug 1, 2026.

Fines and payment denials

CMS records no fines or payment denials for this facility in the last three years.

Source: CMS Penalties file, processed Aug 1, 2026. Amounts are as CMS reports them and may reflect later reductions or appeals.

Staffing

Total nurse staffing per resident per day
3.98 hours
Registered nurse (RN) time per resident per day
0.68 hours
Nurse aide time per resident per day
2.67 hours
Total nurse staffing on weekends
3.73 hours
Nursing staff turnover (yearly)
46%
RN turnover (yearly)
50%
Administrators who left in the past year
1

From payroll-based staffing data the facility submits to CMS. Hours are per resident per day.

A citation is what inspectors found on one date; most are corrected within weeks. Look for patterns — the same problem cited in several inspections — and for anything at the G–L level (actual harm or immediate jeopardy). The full inspection narrative (Form CMS-2567) is linked from Medicare Care Compare, and your state long-term care ombudsman can tell you about complaints.

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