Quick answer: A medication error in a Kern County nursing home (the wrong drug, the wrong dose, a missed blood thinner, or a dangerous interaction) can support a claim under California's Elder Abuse Act, and federal pharmacy rules (42 CFR 483.45) govern how medications must be managed. The medication administration record, physician orders, and pharmacy records show what happened. Free review at (888) 999-0169 or send us a message. A medication error, the wrong drug, the wrong dose, a missed blood thinner, or a dangerous interaction, can be catastrophic for a frail resident. These errors trace back to rushed staff, weak pharmacy oversight, and poor recordkeeping. Kern County has one of the weakest nursing home records in the state, with 13 of its 17 facilities in the bottom two tiers, and that is where these failures concentrate.
If your loved one was harmed by a medication error in a Kern County nursing home, you may have a claim under California's Elder Abuse Act. Call (888) 999-0169 for a free, confidential consultation. We are former defense attorneys who now hold these facilities accountable, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Nursing home records in Kern County
Kern County has 17 federally certified nursing facilities with 1,755 licensed beds. Since 1997, state inspectors have issued 304 citations against Kern County facilities, including 2 class AA citations and 68 class A citations. Facilities in the county have been assessed $2,118,825 in state penalties over that period.
A class AA citation is a class A violation that the Department of Public Health determined was a direct proximate cause of a resident's death. A class A citation is a violation the Department determined presented an imminent danger of death or serious harm to residents, or a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm would result.
15 of those enforcement actions were connected to a resident's death.
2 Kern County facilities currently carry the federal abuse warning icon.
The county's facilities average 1.8 of 5 stars on the federal rating system. 13 of 17 facilities hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
Kern County facilities have been assessed $741,793 in federal fines.
The most cited nursing homes in Kern County
- The Rehabilitation Center of Bakersfield (42 citations)
- Height Street Skilled Care (31 citations)
- Valley Healthcare Center (23 citations)
See every facility in the county, with its full record, in the nursing home directory.
Citation data covers July 1, 1997 through June 30, 2024. Ratings and fines are current as of the CMS processing date shown above.
What the record shows in Kern County
Medication errors surface in the medication administration records, the physician orders, and the pharmacy reconciliation, and they concentrate at homes with weak inspection records.
The CMS file puts the county's weakest health inspection ratings at these homes. Valley Healthcare Center in Bakersfield holds a 1 star health inspection rating and a 1 star overall rating, with a 3 star staffing rating. Its record also shows 3.78 nursing hours per resident per day and $91,195 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties. Bayshire Riverwalk Post-Acute in Bakersfield holds a 1 star health inspection rating and a 1 star overall rating, with a 4 star staffing rating. Its record also shows 4.51 nursing hours per resident per day, $80,668 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties and the federal abuse warning icon. In Bakersfield, Kern River Transitional Care holds a 1 star health inspection rating and a 1 star overall rating, with a 2 star staffing rating. It also carries 4.52 nursing hours per resident per day and $77,720 in federal fines across 1 federal penalty. Across the county, 13 of 17 homes hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
A weak inspection record often reflects the medication-management deficiencies that lead to these errors.
Before you accept a facility's explanation, check its record in our Kern County nursing home directory. For how these cases work, see our California medication errors page.
How Kern County families can respond
Request the complete chart in writing, including the medication administration record, physician orders, pharmacy records, and any incident reports. Gather the hospital records if your loved one was hospitalized. File a complaint with the California Department of Public Health through Cal Health Find, or contact the Kern County Long-Term Care Ombudsman at (661) 323-7884, or the state crisis line at (800) 231-4024 after hours. In an emergency, contact Kern County Adult Protective Services or call 911. Our full guide is here: how to report nursing home abuse in California.
If something about the care your loved one received does not sit right, let us take a look. Call (888) 999-0169 for a free consultation.
Why work with us
Michael Young and Thomas Wallin spent years defending nursing homes before switching sides. Their record includes millions of dollars recovered on behalf of abused and neglected residents. Medication cases turn on documents: the physician order, what the medication administration record says was actually given, and what the pharmacy dispensed. We know how a missed dose or a wrong medication gets papered over, and how to line the records up to show what really happened. As Kern County nursing home abuse lawyers, we handle these cases across Bakersfield, Delano, Arvin, and the county and throughout California.
Talk to a Kern County medication error lawyer today
Call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free case evaluation. We take cases throughout Kern County and across California, and there is no fee unless we win.
Sources and authoritative references
- CMS Care Compare, the federal nursing home rating and inspection database: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
- California Department of Public Health, Cal Health Find, to look up a facility or file a complaint: https://calhealthfind.cdph.ca.gov/
- California Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, Welfare and Institutions Code section 15600: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=WIC§ionNum=15600.
- Federal pharmacy services standard, 42 CFR 483.45: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/part-483/section-483.45
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a nursing home medication error?
Giving the wrong drug or the wrong dose, missing a scheduled medication such as a blood thinner or insulin, giving a medication the resident is allergic to, or failing to monitor for a dangerous interaction. Any of these can seriously harm or kill a frail resident.
Is a medication error neglect?
It can be. Medication errors usually trace to understaffing, poor training, or weak pharmacy oversight, which are forms of neglect under California's Elder Abuse Act, especially where the error was reckless.
What should I do first?
Request the medication administration record, the physician orders, and the pharmacy records in writing. Then talk to a lawyer, because these documents are the heart of a medication case and are easiest to obtain early.
How many nursing homes are in Kern County?
Kern County has 17 federally certified nursing facilities with 1,755 licensed beds. Every one of them is listed in our Kern County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
Do Kern County nursing homes have citations for medication errors?
State inspectors have issued 304 citations against Kern County nursing homes since 1997, across the full range of care failures rather than any single one. We do not publish a citation count by injury type, because the state does not categorize them that way. Check the specific home's own record instead. Every one of them is listed in our Kern County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
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Disclaimer: facility ratings, fines, penalties, and the CMS abuse icon above are drawn from public CMS data (medicare.gov) as of the August 2026 processing date and are reported as published. They may not reflect the most current findings, and inclusion of any facility is not an allegation of wrongdoing. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case. This page is attorney advertising and not legal advice.