Riverside Health Care Center Ratings and Violations
In a nursing home, an individual with medical needs can live in a safe environment with access to 24/7 nursing support. These facilities provide valuable services to older adults, but many face quality issues and improper practices. Riverside Health Care Center, a nursing home in Covington, GA, has a history of these issues, many of which have put residents at risk.
If you are a victim of abuse, neglect, or misconduct at this nursing home, you may have grounds for a civil lawsuit. At the Nursing Home Law Center, our trusted legal team for nursing home abuse victims will stand by your side throughout the claims process to fight for fair compensation. In this guide, we examine the history of the Covington, GA, nursing home to assess its quality ratings and deficiencies. We will then discuss the legal options available to victims of misconduct at Riverside Health Care Center.
Riverside Health Care Center: Skilled Nursing Facility Profile
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes information about individual nursing homes on its website.
Here is the latest data about Riverside Health Care Center:
Facility Name: Riverside Health Care Center (Riverside Healthcare LP)
Address: 5100 West St NW, Covington, GA 30014
CMS Overall Rating: 2 stars (below average)
CMS Health Inspection Rating: 2 stars (below average)
CMS Staffing Rating: 2 stars (below average)
CMS Quality Measures Rating: 2 stars (below average)
Federal Fines in the Last 3 Years: 1 fine totaling $13,000
Denied Payments by Medicare in the Last 3 Years: 0 denied payments
Cited for Abuse: No
SFF: No
About Riverside Health Care Center in Covington, GA
Riverside Health Care Center is a skilled nursing facility offering short-term care and long-term resident services located in Covington, GA. It has 159 certified beds and is owned by a for-profit corporation called Wellington Health Care Services. This senior living chain operates 14 facilities in the region. Riverside Health Care Center is not part of a continuing care retirement community or hospital.
Residents at this Covington, GA, nursing home can enjoy the following range of services:
- 24/7 skilled nursing care
- Respite care
- Pain management
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Speech therapy
- Hospice care
- Dementia services
- Daily living assistance
- Private and semi-private rooms
Riverside Health Care Center CMS Ratings, Violations, and Health Care Safety Inspections
The CMS created a five-star rating system to help regulate nursing homes in the United States. Each facility receives ratings in three main categories (health inspections, staffing, and quality measures) that determine the overall score.
In the sections below, we will examine the three CMS categories at Riverside Health Care Center to see why it’s one of Georgia’s worst-rated nursing home facilities.
Health Inspections (Two Stars)
Health inspections are conducted every year or every other year, and in response to complaints about a facility. The latest inspection at Riverside Health Care Center, conducted in April 2025, resulted in five health citations. Since October 2024, one complaint inspection has been performed at the nursing home. In the past three years, 53 complaints and three facility-reported issues have resulted in health citations.
Specific violations listed in these health inspection reports include the failure to:
- Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed
- Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident’s needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured
- Develop the complete care plan within seven days of the comprehensive assessment, and have it prepared, reviewed, and revised by health professionals
- Ensure that drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles
- Protect each resident from the wrongful use of the resident’s belongings or money
- Not hire anyone with a finding of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or theft
- Provide enough food and fluids to maintain a resident’s health
- Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program
- Honor the resident’s right to cleanliness and a safe, comfortable, and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supportive daily living assistance
- Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist at Riverside Health Care Center
- Ensure that medication error rates are not five percent or greater
Staffing (Two Stars)
Here are the deficiencies related to staffing at Riverside Health Care Center:
- 3 hours and 30 minutes of nurse staff hours per resident per day, compared to the Georgia average of 3 hours and 37 minutes and the national average of 3 hours and 54 minutes
- 12 minutes of registered nurse hours per resident per day, compared to the Georgia average of 29 minutes and the national average of 41 minutes
- 49 minutes of LPN/LVN hours per resident per day, compared to the Georgia average of 58 minutes and the national average of 52 minutes
- 3 hours and 6 minutes of nurse staff hours per resident per day on the weekend, compared to the Georgia average of 3 hours and 7 minutes and the national average of 3 hours and 25 minutes
- 6 minutes of registered nurse hours per resident per day on the weekend, compared to the Georgia average of 19 minutes and the national average of 28 minutes
Quality Measures: Short-Term Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care (Two Stars)
This category refers to the level of services provided at Riverside Health Care Center for short-term and long-term residents. Some deficiencies include:
- 3.8% of short-stay residents received antipsychotic medication for the first time, compared to the Georgia average of 2.2% and the national average of 1.6%, raising questions about chemical restraint misuse
- 30.16% of long-stay residents were at or above an expected ability to move around at discharge, compared to the national average of 50.5%
- 10.98% of short-stay resident infections resulted in hospitalization, compared to the national average of 7.12%, indicating problems with infection outbreaks in long-term care facilities
- 2.20 outpatient emergency department visits per 1,000 long-stay resident days, compared to the Georgia average of 1.92 and the national average of 1.80, demonstrating a failure to prevent resident injuries in nursing homes
- 18.8% of long-stay residents received antipsychotic medication, compared to the national average of 14.4%
- 1.6% of long-stay residents had a catheter inserted and left in their bladder, compared to the Georgia average of 1.2% and the national average of 1.1%, resulting in issues with nursing home bladder infections
- 9.1% of long-stay residents lost too much weight, compared to the Georgia average of 6% and the national average of 5.4%, raising concerns about nursing home nutrition neglect
- 25.9% of long-stay residents received antianxiety or hypnotic medication, compared to the Georgia average of 20.8% and the national average of 19.7%, indicating a pattern of medication mismanagement in nursing homes
Residents’ Legal Rights Following Abuse or Neglect at Riverside Health Care Center
When you reside in a nursing home like Riverside Health Care Center, certain rights are protected under Georgia and federal law. These statutes include the rights to receive quality care, to maintain a dignified existence, and to file administrative complaints.
If your rights are violated or you suffer from abuse or neglect in a nursing home, the facility may be liable for any legal damages you suffer. A Georgia nursing home abuse lawyer from our firm can help you recover the following economic and non-economic losses during a lawsuit:
- Lost income
- Medical expenses
- Future medical bills
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Punitive damages
How Nursing Home Law Center Can Help Protect Nursing Home Residents
Navigating the claims process can be challenging when you are focusing on your recovery and well-being after nursing home misconduct. At the Nursing Home Law Center, we believe in your case and will do the legal heavy lifting for your lawsuit, fighting for every dollar you deserve.
A Covington nursing home neglect attorney will provide the following legal services during your claim:
- Investigating Riverside Health Care Center for wrongdoing
- Gathering evidence of negligence, such as witness statements, surveillance footage, medical records, and photos of injuries
- Assessing all legal damages to maximize compensation
- Negotiating with insurance companies for a fair settlement
- Litigating in civil court
Our attorneys work on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we prevail. We also offer a free consultation to answer any questions about the legal process.
If you or a loved one has suffered at Riverside Health Care Center, contact us today at 800-926-7565 or complete the online form to request a free consultation.
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Jonathan Rosenfeld is a leading Chicago nursing home injury lawyer with 25 years of experience focused on elder abuse litigation. Recognized for his dedication, he has received recognition from Illinois Trial Lawyers, Million Dollar Advocates, and Super Lawyers.