Quick answer: Nursing home neglect in Santa Clara 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. Santa Clara County has 50 skilled nursing facilities, and 13 of them carry a one- or two-star overall CMS rating. Neglect happens to individuals, and it concentrates at the homes that run short on the shifts that matter.
If your loved one was neglected or harmed 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 consultation. We know the defense playbook because we spent years running it, and you pay nothing 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 across Santa Clara County
Neglect surfaces as the specific injuries we handle: bedsores, falls and fractures, dehydration and malnutrition, sepsis and infections, medication errors, wandering and elopement, and in some cases physical abuse.
The CMS file puts the county's lowest overall ratings at these homes. CMS gives Skyline Healthcare Center - San Jose in San Jose a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating, with a 4 star staffing rating. Its record also shows 4.07 nursing hours per resident per day and $105,089 in federal fines across 1 federal penalty. CMS gives The Villas at Saratoga Skilled Nsg & Assisted Lvg in Saratoga a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating, with a 3 star staffing rating. It carries 4.39 nursing hours per resident per day and $40,323 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties as well. Herman Health Care Center in San Jose holds a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating, with a 4 star staffing rating. It also carries 4.02 nursing hours per resident per day and $39,819 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties. Across the county, 13 of 50 homes hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
The individual home matters far more than the county average.
Review any home's full record in our Santa Clara County nursing home directory. For how California defines and proves neglect, see our California nursing home neglect page.
How Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County Long-Term Care Ombudsman (Catholic Charities) at (408) 944-0567, or the state crisis line at (800) 231-4024 after hours. If your loved one is in immediate danger, contact Santa Clara County Adult Protective Services or call 911. Our full guide is here: how to report nursing home abuse in California.
The sooner the records are preserved, the stronger the case. 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. In the years since, they have recovered millions for California families in elder abuse and neglect cases. We know how neglect and abuse hide in a chart that says "care provided" when the state survey found otherwise, and at a home carrying an abuse flag and fines, the inspection findings and the resident's records are the first place we look. 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 nursing home neglect lawyer today
Call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free case evaluation. We serve families throughout Santa Clara County and all of California. We have recovered millions holding these facilities accountable, and you pay 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.
- 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 and abuse can carry attorney's fees and enhanced damages where they were 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 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 neglect?
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.
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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.