Quick answer: A serious bedsore (stage 3 or 4) in a Santa Clara County nursing home can support a claim under California's Elder Abuse Act, because federal rules (42 CFR 483.25) treat advanced pressure ulcers as preventable unless a documented medical condition made them unavoidable. Request the wound care and repositioning records and check the home's CMS inspection rating, then have a lawyer review it for free at (888) 999-0169 or send us a message. Santa Clara County has 50 skilled nursing facilities, and 13 of them carry a one- or two-star overall CMS rating. Those are the homes where a serious pressure ulcer is most likely, because a bedsore is a repositioning failure and repositioning fails where staffing is thin.
If your loved one developed a bedsore in a San Jose, Sunnyvale, or Gilroy nursing home, you may have a claim under California's Elder Abuse Act. Call (888) 999-0169 for a free, confidential case evaluation. Our background is on the other side of these cases, which is exactly why families call us, and there is no fee unless we win.
Nursing home records in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County has 50 federally certified nursing facilities with 5,114 licensed beds. Since 1997, state inspectors have issued 627 citations against Santa Clara County facilities, including 13 class AA citations and 51 class A citations. Facilities in the county have been assessed $2,847,630 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.
26 of those enforcement actions were connected to a resident's death.
The county's facilities average 3.5 of 5 stars on the federal rating system. 13 of 50 facilities hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
Santa Clara County facilities have been assessed $651,609 in federal fines.
The most cited nursing homes in Santa Clara County
- Westwood Post Acute (46 citations)
- The Redwoods Post-Acute (37 citations)
- Mission De La Casa (33 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 Santa Clara County
The CMS file puts the county's thinnest nurse staffing at these homes. Staffing at Canyon Springs Post-Acute in San Jose is 3.69 nursing hours per resident per day against 4.52 statewide, with a 4 star overall rating and a 3 star health inspection rating. Its record also shows a 3 star staffing rating. In Los Gatos, Vasona Creek Healthcare Center reports 3.71 nursing hours per resident per day, where the state average is 4.52, with a 2 star overall rating and a 3 star health inspection rating. It carries a 1 star staffing rating as well. Staffing at Milpitas Care Center in Milpitas is 3.77 nursing hours per resident per day against 4.52 statewide, with a 2 star overall rating and a 2 star health inspection rating. It also carries a 3 star staffing rating and $20,051 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties. 13 of the county's 50 homes hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
A strong county-wide average does not protect a resident at one of these homes, and staffing is the number that matters most when a pressure sore develops.
Before you accept a facility's explanation for a bedsore, check its record in our Santa Clara County nursing home directory. Left untreated, a stage 4 ulcer can reach the bone and become a fatal infection. For the four stages and the California statutes, see our California bedsore page.
How Santa Clara County families can respond
Photograph the wound and date the photos, and request the complete chart in writing, including wound care notes and repositioning logs. Get an independent medical evaluation. File a complaint with the California Department of Public Health through Cal Health Find, or contact the Santa Clara County Long-Term Care Ombudsman (Catholic Charities) at (408) 944-0567, or the state crisis line at (800) 231-4024 after hours. In an emergency, contact Santa Clara County Adult Protective Services or call 911. Our full guide is here: how to report nursing home abuse in California.
You do not need to be certain to call. That is what a free, confidential consultation is for. Call (888) 999-0169.
Why work with us
Michael Young and Thomas Wallin spent years defending nursing homes before switching sides. Between them they have recovered millions of dollars for elder abuse victims and their families. We go straight for the repositioning logs and the payroll-based staffing records, because the gap between "turned every two hours" in the chart and the aides actually working that shift is where these cases are won. At a home with one-star ratings and six figures in fines, that gap is the first thing to check. As Santa Clara County nursing home abuse lawyers, we handle these cases across San Jose, Sunnyvale, Gilroy, and the county and throughout California.
Talk to a Santa Clara County bedsore lawyer today
Wound photos and repositioning logs get harder to obtain every week. Call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free case evaluation. We help families throughout Santa Clara County and across California, and you owe nothing 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 quality-of-care and pressure-ulcer standard, 42 CFR 483.25: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/part-483/section-483.25
Frequently asked questions
Is a bedsore automatically neglect?
No, but a serious pressure ulcer at a home with one-star ratings and heavy fines deserves a hard look. Federal rules treat advanced bedsores as preventable except where a documented medical condition makes them unavoidable.
What should I do first if my parent has a stage 4 bedsore?
Photograph the wound, request the complete chart in writing, and get an independent medical evaluation. Then talk to a lawyer before accepting the facility's explanation, because the version families are given rarely matches the records.
How many nursing homes are in Santa Clara County?
Santa Clara County has 50 federally certified nursing facilities with 5,114 licensed beds. Every one of them is listed in our Santa Clara County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
Do Santa Clara County nursing homes have citations for bedsores and pressure ulcers?
State inspectors have issued 627 citations against Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
Which Santa Clara County nursing homes carry a one-star overall CMS rating or the highest published fine totals?
By the current CMS data, these are the homes in Santa Clara County with the lowest overall CMS ratings. Skyline Healthcare Center - San Jose in San Jose carries a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating and $105,089 in federal fines across 1 federal penalty. The Villas at Saratoga Skilled Nsg & Assisted Lvg in Saratoga carries a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating and $40,323 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties. Herman Health Care Center in San Jose carries a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating and $39,819 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties. Every Santa Clara County home's full record, with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines, is in our Santa Clara County nursing home directory.
Free Case Evaluation
Confidential. No obligation. Available 24/7.
Disclaimer: facility ratings, staffing figures, 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.