Pioneer House Health Center Ratings and Violations
A nursing home serves a vital function in the healthcare system. Adults who have increased medical needs, either due to aging, surgeries, diseases, or major injuries, can access 24/7 care by staying in a nursing home staffed by medical professionals. Nursing home services also include assistance with daily living activities in a safe place. However, when nursing homes like Pioneer House Health Center in Sacramento, CA, fail to meet professional standards, residents may experience abuse or neglect.
Suffering from misconduct in a nursing home can have a devastating impact on your physical, mental, and financial well-being. At the Nursing Home Law Center, we help victims of abuse and neglect seek compensation for their legal damages. With an experienced team of dedicated lawyers focused on nursing home abuse, we can stand by your side as you seek justice against the at-fault parties.
In this guide, we will take a deep dive into Pioneer House Health Center and its recent record of providing excellent care to residents. Then, we will discuss legal options for victims of abuse or neglect at this nursing home.
Pioneer House Health Center: Facility Profile
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a government agency that regulates nursing homes in the United States. On the CMS website, consumers can look up information about specific nursing homes, such as logistical data, past inspection reports, violations, and performance ratings. This data helps potential residents and family members find the right fit for their needs.
Here is the most updated data available for Pioneer House Health Center:
Facility Name: Pioneer House Health Center (Cathedral Pioneer Church Homes No Two)
Address: 415 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
CMS Overall Rating: 2 stars (below average)
CMS Health Inspection Rating: 2 stars (below average)
CMS Staffing Rating: 3 stars (average)
CMS Quality Measures Rating: 4 stars (above average)
Federal Fines in the Last 3 Years: 0 fines
Denied Payments by Medicare in the Last 3 Years: 0 denied payments
Cited for Abuse: Yes
SFF: No
About Pioneer House Health Center in Sacramento, CA
Pioneer House Health Center is a skilled nursing facility located in Sacramento, CA. The institution provides 24/7 skilled nursing care, rehabilitation, and recreational activities for both short-term and long-term patients. The nursing home has 50 certified beds and is not part of a continuing care retirement community or hospital.
The ownership type at Pioneer House is a for-profit limited liability company. It is owned and operated by the Retirement Housing Foundation, a senior living chain operating in 29 states. Some of the specific care programs and amenities offered at this nursing home include:
- 24/7 professional nursing support
- Individualized care plans
- IV therapy
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Speech therapy
- Dementia care
- Wound care
- Pain management
- Post-hospital extended care
- Hospice and respite care
- Psychology
- Audiology
- Nutrition and hydration programs
- Diabetic management
- Social services
- Religious, entertainment, cultural, and social activities
- Daily living assistance (bathing, eating, cleaning, dressing, etc.)
Pioneer House Health Center CMS Ratings, Violations, and Safety Inspections
One important feature of the CMS website is the nursing home rating system. This five-star rating system is used to inform consumers about the performance of a specific institution, including Pioneer House in Sacramento, CA. Each facility receives four primary scores in the following categories: overall, health inspections, staffing, and quality measures.
The scale for each score is as follows:
- One star – Much below average
- Two stars – Below average
- Three stars – Average
- Four stars – Above average
- Five stars – Much above average
The Sacramento, CA, nursing home has mixed ratings in these categories. For its overall and health inspection scores, it received two stars (below average). It performed slightly better in staffing, which has a three-star rating. Lastly, quality measures received four stars from CMS. Let’s take a close look at these categories to understand the reasoning behind some of these scores and some areas of concern at the nursing home.
Health Inspections
Two stars is not a very good score when you are looking for a nursing home that will provide the highest standard of care for yourself or your loved one. Nursing home inspections are often conducted annually, but they are also initiated in response to serious complaints about the facility. The most recent inspection at Pioneer House was conducted in November 2024 and listed 13 health citations. This exceeds the national average of 9.5 citations per inspection report.
Since July 2024, there have been six inspections due to nursing home complaints. In the last three years, 11 complaints have resulted in health citations against the nursing home. During that same period, six self-reported issues led to citations, making this facility one of the low-ranking nursing homes in California.
Let’s look at some of the findings in these inspection reports that reflect concerns over abuse and neglect:
- A failure to protect residents from all types of physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect
- A failure to report suspected abuse in a timely manner
- A failure to ensure the nursing home honors each resident’s preferences, choices, values, and beliefs
- A failure to provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable
- A failure to provide and implement an infection prevention and control program
- A failure to ensure services provided by the nursing home meet professional standards of excellence
- A failure to provide residents with a safe transfer or discharge from the nursing home
- A failure to ensure that drugs and biologicals used in the nursing home are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles
- A failure to ensure firmly secured handrails are placed on each side of hallways
- A failure to ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents, which could result in nursing home slip and fall incidents
- A failure to have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day
- A failure to create and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident’s needs
- A failure to provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed
- A failure to make sure that the nursing home area is safe, easy to use, clean, and comfortable for residents
Another potential concern for residents is the nursing home’s ability to protect them from fires and other emergencies. The last fire safety inspection occurred in November 2024 and resulted in 12 fire safety and emergency preparedness citations, exceeding the state average of 6.5 and the national average of 4.8
Staffing
Although staffing was considered average at Pioneer House Health Center, there are still some areas of concern at the nursing home. An insufficient staff is one of the main contributing factors in nursing home abuse and neglect cases. Here are some specific issues related to staffing at this Sacramento, CA, nursing home:
- 52 minutes of licensed practical nurse/licensed vocational nurse hours per resident per day, compared to the California average of 1 hour and 14 minutes
- 3 hours and 53 minutes of nurse staff hours per resident per day on the weekend, compared to the state average of 4 hours and 5 minutes
- 1 minute of physical therapist staff hours per resident per day, compared to the state average of 5 minutes and the national average of 4 minutes
- A total nursing home employee turnover rate of 46.6%, compared to the state average of 38.9%
- A registered nurse turnover rate of 70%, compared to the state average of 40.1% and the national average of 43.8%
Quality Measures
Pioneer House Health Center provides services for both short-stay and long-stay residents. The nursing home received a CMS rating of four stars in this overall category, with three stars for short-term care and five stars for long-term care. First, here are some deficiencies found in the short-term care programs at the nursing home:
- 47.06% of short-stay residents are at or above an expected ability to care for themselves and move around at discharge from the nursing home, compared to the national average of 54.9%
- 88.4% of short-stay residents needed and received a flu shot for the current flu season, compared to the California average of 93.4%, indicating risks of nursing home infection cases
- 88.5% of short-stay residents needed and received a vaccine to prevent pneumonia, compared to the state average of 94%
- 38.2% of short-stay residents were at or above an expected ability to move around at discharge from the nursing home, compared to the national average of 50%
- 47.1% of short-stay residents were at or above an expected ability to care for themselves at discharge, compared to the national average of 52.7%
Although long-stay measures have a five-star CMS rating, there are still some deficiencies worth mentioning:
- A rate of 2.06 outpatient emergency department visits per 1,000 long-stay resident days, compared to the state average of 1.57 and the national average of 1.78, which could allude to issues with nursing home resident fall injuries
- 90% of long-stay residents needed and received a flu shot for the current flu season, compared to the state average of 98.4% and the national average of 95.3%
- 11.1% of long-stay residents received antipsychotic medication, compared to the state average of 10.4%, which demonstrates a failure to prevent unwarranted chemical restraint use
- 22.8% of long-stay residents experienced new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence, compared to the state average of 11.8% and the national average of 20.7%, which may include concerns about nursing home urinary infection prevention
- 5.6% of long-stay residents lost too much weight, compared to the California average of 4.3% and the national average of 5.5%, which raises concerns over patterns of nursing home insufficient meal care
Residents’ Legal Rights Following Abuse or Neglect at Pioneer House Health Center
Whether you are living in this nursing home in Sacramento, CA, or another similar institution in the state, you are granted certain rights by state and federal laws. As a nursing home resident, you have the right to receive excellent services to maintain your standard of life. You also have the right to maintain a dignified existence and be treated with respect by the nursing home team. Lastly, you may file administrative complaints against the institution without fear of retaliation.
In many cases, these rights and others are violated by nurses, physicians, administrators, and even other residents. If you suffer due to abuse, neglect, or misconduct at Pioneer House Health Center, you have the right to pursue compensation via a lawsuit. Legal damages in this type of claim may include:
- Lost wages – If your injuries force you to miss work, you can claim lost income in your settlement, including future losses
- Medical expenses – Any costs associated with your diagnosis and treatment can increase your compensation, including emergency room visits, surgery fees, medication, assistive devices, rehabilitation, and therapy
- Future medical bills – A medical professional can testify that you will need ongoing treatment, for which the costs can be included in the lawsuit
- Emotional distress – Psychological suffering can also impact your settlement, especially if you struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, depression, or fearfulness after the misconduct
- Pain and suffering – Some victims may experience ongoing physical pain due to their injuries, which can play a role in the settlement
- Loss of enjoyment of life – Your ability to experience joy may diminish after the incident
A California nursing home abuse lawyer from our team is ready to believe in your case and guide you through the claims process.
How Nursing Home Law Center Can Help
Our firm provides specialized legal services for victims of nursing home abuse and neglect. We understand what it takes to build a strong claim, fight for justice, and obtain every dollar you deserve for your losses.
We provide the following services at the Nursing Home Law Center:
- Investigating Pioneer House Health Center for negligence
- Creating a strong evidence profile with witness statements, surveillance footage, and medical records
- Assessing all legal damages
- Ensuring medical testimony supports your claim
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Litigating in civil court if necessary
A Sacramento nursing home abuse lawyer will work with you on a contingency fee basis. This ensures you will pay nothing unless we secure a favorable outcome for your claim. We also provide a free consultation, during which you can ask questions about the legal process or your specific case.
Contact us today at 800-926-7565 or complete the online form to schedule your no-obligation consultation with a Sacramento, CA, attorney.