Quick answer: Nursing home neglect in Kern County is the failure to provide the care a resident needs to stay safe: repositioning, feeding, hydration, hygiene, supervision, and medical care. Under California's Elder Abuse Act (Welfare and Institutions Code 15610.57), serious neglect can carry attorney's fees and enhanced damages. Document what you see, request the chart, and call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free review. If you are worried about a parent in a Kern County nursing home, the county's public record is a reason to trust that instinct. Of its 17 skilled nursing facilities, 13 carry an overall rating of one or two stars, 16 have federal fines on record totaling $741,793, and two display the CMS abuse icon. Those are the county's published CMS ratings and CDPH enforcement figures.
If your loved one was neglected in a Bakersfield, Arvin, or Delano nursing home, you may have a claim under California's Elder Abuse Act. Call (888) 999-0169 for a free, confidential consultation. We changed sides after years defending nursing homes, 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 across Kern County
Neglect surfaces as the specific injuries we handle: bedsores, falls and fractures, dehydration and malnutrition, sepsis and infections, medication errors, and wandering and elopement.
In the CMS data, these are the county's nursing homes with the lowest overall CMS ratings. CMS gives Valley Healthcare Center in Bakersfield a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating, with a 3 star staffing rating. It carries 3.78 nursing hours per resident per day and $91,195 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties as well. CMS gives Bayshire Riverwalk Post-Acute in Bakersfield a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection 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. Kern River Transitional Care in Bakersfield holds a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection 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. 13 of the county's 17 homes hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
When most of a county's homes rate at the bottom, scrutiny of the specific facility matters more than ever.
Review any home's full record in our Kern County nursing home directory. For how California defines and proves neglect, see our California nursing home neglect page.
How Kern County families can respond
Write down what you see, with dates and photos, and request the complete chart in writing, including care plans, weight logs, intake records, and repositioning sheets. 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. If your loved one is in immediate danger, contact Kern County Adult Protective Services or call 911. Our full guide is here: how to report nursing home abuse in California.
A single phone call can tell you whether you have a case. It is free and confidential. Call (888) 999-0169.
Why work with us
Michael Young and Thomas Wallin spent years defending nursing homes before switching sides. They have since recovered millions of dollars for families in elder abuse cases across California. We know how understaffing hides in a chart that says "care provided" on a shift with no one to provide it, and how a facility's fine history exposes a problem that predates any one family's harm. As Kern County nursing home abuse lawyers, we handle neglect cases across Bakersfield and the county and throughout California.
Talk to a Kern County nursing home neglect lawyer today
The records that prove neglect are easiest to obtain early. Call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free case evaluation. We serve Kern County and all of California, you deal directly with the attorneys, 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.
- Neglect defined under California law, Welfare and Institutions Code section 15610.57: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=WIC§ionNum=15610.57.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as nursing home neglect in California?
Neglect is the failure to provide the care a resident needs to stay safe and healthy: repositioning, feeding, hydration, hygiene, mobility, supervision, and medical care. Under California's Elder Abuse Act, serious neglect can carry attorney's fees and enhanced damages where it was reckless.
What should I do first if I suspect neglect?
Document what you see, request the chart in writing, and get an independent medical evaluation. Then talk to a lawyer, because the records that prove neglect 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 neglect?
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, 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.