Federal inspection record · CMS data as of October 1, 2026
Mescalero Care Center
454 Lipan Avenue, Mescalero, NM · (575) 464-4802
- Certified beds
- 40
- Residents per day
- 35
- Ownership
- Non-Profit
- Chain
- No chain reported
- Medicare / Medicaid
- Medicare + Medicaid
- Certified since
- December 17, 2003
1
How this home got 1 star
The overall rating isn't an average. CMS starts from the inspection rating and nudges it at most two steps. Here is the arithmetic for this home, using CMS's own rules.
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Health inspections
★★★★★starting point
Everything starts from what state inspectors found on site. This is a ranking against other homes in New Mexico.
-
Staffing
★★★★★−1 star
Only a 5-star staffing rating adds a star, and only a 1-star rating removes one. Ratings of 2 to 4 change nothing.
-
Quality measures
★★★★★no change
Same rule: 5 stars adds one, 1 star takes one away. These measures are mostly reported by the home itself.
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Overall
★★★★★1 of 5
Matches the rating CMS publishes on Care Compare.
2
Where it sits among New Mexico homes
Mescalero Care Center carries 217 inspection points. That is fewer than 18% of New Mexico's 67 rated homes.
Inspectors' citations earn points by how serious and how widespread they were (the grid below). CMS then ranks every home in New Mexico: the 10% with the fewest points get 5 stars, the 20% with the most get 1 star, and the middle 70% split evenly into 2, 3 and 4.
- 5★ 0–59 pts
- 4★ 59–97 pts
- 3★ 97–154 pts
- 2★ 154–212.75 pts
- 1★ over 212.75 pts
Bars show every rated home in New Mexico by its weighted inspection score. CMS recalibrates the cut points monthly but holds a home's rating until its own score changes, so a home can sit just outside today's band.
3
What inspectors found
63 health citations on record since 2023. Each one gets a letter: the row says how badly residents were affected, the column how many.
Immediate jeopardyResidents at risk of serious injury or death
Actual harmA resident was hurt
Potential for harmNo one was hurt, but could have been
Minimal harmPaperwork-level problems
Read the rows, not the total. Most citations nationwide are a D: one problem, nobody hurt. Rows G–I mean a resident was harmed; J–L mean inspectors found residents in immediate danger of serious injury or death.
Small numbers in each cell are the inspection points CMS assigns per citation. Those points are what the state curve above ranks.
No citation on record at the harm or immediate-jeopardy level.
Everything else, by area of care
Resident Assessment and Care Planning19E
- E
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
- E
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
- E
Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
- E
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
- E
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
- D
Assess the resident completely in a timely manner when first admitted, and then periodically, at least every 12 months.
- D
Assess the resident when there is a significant change in condition
- D
Assure that each resident’s assessment is updated at least once every 3 months.
- D
Encode each resident’s assessment data and transmit these data to the State within 7 days of assessment.
- D
Create and put into place a plan for meeting the resident's most immediate needs within 48 hours of being admitted
- D
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
- E
Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
- E
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
- D
Assess the resident completely in a timely manner when first admitted, and then periodically, at least every 12 months.
- D
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
- E
Assess the resident completely in a timely manner when first admitted, and then periodically, at least every 12 months.
- E
Encode each resident’s assessment data and transmit these data to the State within 7 days of assessment.
- D
Create and put into place a plan for meeting the resident's most immediate needs within 48 hours of being admitted
- D
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
Nursing and Physician Services9F
- E
Ensure that the resident and his/her doctor meet face-to-face at all required visits.
- E
Observe each nurse aide's job performance and give regular training.
- E
Ensure nurse aides have the skills they need to care for residents, and give nurse aides education in dementia care and abuse prevention.
- F
Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
- E
Ensure that the resident and his/her doctor meet face-to-face at all required visits.
- F
Ensure that nurses and nurse aides have the appropriate competencies to care for every resident in a way that maximizes each resident's well being.
- F
Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
- F
Observe each nurse aide's job performance and give regular training.
- F
Ensure nurse aides have the skills they need to care for residents, and give nurse aides education in dementia care and abuse prevention.
Quality of Life and Care8E
- E
Provide activities to meet all resident's needs.
- E
Provide or obtain dental services for each resident.
- D
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
- E
Provide appropriate care for a resident to maintain and/or improve range of motion (ROM), limited ROM and/or mobility, unless a decline is for a medical reason.
- E
Provide or obtain dental services for each resident.
- D
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
- E
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
- E
Provide medically-related social services to help each resident achieve the highest possible quality of life.
Resident Rights7E
- E
Provide the required documentation or notification related to the resident's needs, appeal rights, or bed-hold policies.
- E
Properly hold, secure, and manage each resident's personal money which is deposited with the nursing home.
- E
Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.
- E
Provide the required documentation or notification related to the resident's needs, appeal rights, or bed-hold policies.
- E
Ensure that staff members are educated on resident rights and facility responsibilities to properly care for its residents.
- D
Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments.
- E
Honor the resident's right to and the facility must promote and facilitate resident self-determination through support of resident choice.
Administration6F
- E
Develop, implement, and/or maintain an effective training program that includes effective communications for direct care staff members.
- E
Conduct mandatory training, for all staff, on the facility’s Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement Program.
- D
Provide behavior health training consistent with the requirements and as determined by a facility assessment.
- F
Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
- E
Provide behavior health training consistent with the requirements and as determined by a facility assessment.
- F
Electronically submit to CMS complete and accurate direct care staffing information, based on payroll and other verifiable and auditable data.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation4E
- E
Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
- D
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
- E
Prevent the use of unnecessary psychotropic medications or use medications that may restrain a resident's ability to function.
- D
Give their staff education on dementia care, and what abuse, neglect, and exploitation are; and how to report abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Nutrition and Dietary4F
- F
Employ sufficient staff with the appropriate competencies and skills sets to carry out the functions of the food and nutrition service, including a qualified dietician.
- F
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
- F
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
- E
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Pharmacy Service3E
- E
Ensure a licensed pharmacist perform a monthly drug regimen review, including the medical chart, following irregularity reporting guidelines in developed policies and procedures.
- E
Implement gradual dose reductions(GDR) and non-pharmacological interventions, unless contraindicated, prior to initiating or instead of continuing psychotropic medication; and PRN orders for psychotropic medications are only used when the medication is necessary and PRN use is limited.
- E
Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.
Infection Control2F
- E
Include as part of its infection prevention and control program, mandatory training that includes written standards, policies, and procedures for the program.
- F
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Environmental1D
- D
Make sure that a working call system is available in each resident's bathroom and bathing area.
Inspection history
2025-05-19
34 health deficiencies · 3 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Resident Assessment and Care Planning (11 deficiencies)
2024-05-22
15 health deficiencies · 7 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Resident Assessment and Care Planning (4 deficiencies)
2023-06-15
14 health deficiencies · 11 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Nursing and Physician Services (4 deficiencies)
4
Nursing time per resident, per day
Each resident here gets about 4 h 51 min of nursing staff time a day, 43 min of it from a registered nurse.
This home
4 h 51 min
New Mexico average
3 h 35 min
U.S. average
3 h 54 min
- Registered nurse
- Licensed practical nurse
- Nurse aide
Reported hours from payroll data the home submits to CMS, divided by its daily resident count. Not adjusted for how sick residents are.
5
Resident outcomes
Quality measures compared with state and national averages. Most come from assessments the home itself reports.
| Measure | This home | State | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine8.6 pts worse | 87.5% | 96.1% | 93.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine18 pts worse | 77.8% | 95.8% | 95.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury1.3 pts worse | 4.7% | 3.4% | 3.2% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms0.4 pts better | 1.8% | 2.2% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who lose too much weight3.4 pts worse | 6.9% | 3.5% | 5.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication1.9 pts better | 12.9% | 14.8% | 19.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication1.1 pts worse | 15.6% | 14.5% | 15.4% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who were physically restrainedAbout the same | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased3.4 pts worse | 13.7% | 10.3% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder1.6 pts worse | 2.4% | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection4 pts worse | 5.0% | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence8.3 pts better | 10.9% | 19.2% | 18.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers3.4 pts worse | 8.6% | 5.2% | 4.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine14.2 pts worse | 71.9% | 86.1% | 82.3% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who newly received an antipsychotic medication8.8 pts worse | 10.0% | 1.2% | 1.5% |
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Who owns and runs it
5 owners and managers reported to CMS. The last column counts how many nursing homes each one is tied to.
Show ownership list
| Name | Role | Share | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mescalero Apache Tribe | 5% Or Greater Direct Ownership Interest · Organization | 100% | 1 facilities |
| Cervantes, Nelva | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 1 facilities |
| Esquibel, Carol | Corporate Director · Individual | 0% | 2 facilities |
| Esquibel, Carol | Operational/Managerial Control · Individual | 0% | 2 facilities |
| Mescalero Apache Tribe | Operational/Managerial Control · Organization | 0% | 1 facilities |
·
Fire safety
21 life-safety citations (sprinklers, exits, alarms). These don't count toward the star rating.
Smoke10F
- F
Provide properly protected cooking facilities.
- F
Follow proper procedures when the automatic sprinkler systems was out of service for more than 10 hours.
- E
Provide properly protected cooking facilities.
- E
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
- E
Install smoke barrier doors that can resist smoke for at least 20 minutes.
- F
Ensure that special areas are constructed so that walls can resist fire for one hour or have an approved fire extinguishing system.
- F
Have an alternate power supply for its alarm system.
- F
Have approved installation, maintenance and testing program for fire alarm systems.
- F
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
- E
Provide properly protected cooking facilities.
Egress3F
- F
Install emergency lighting that can last at least 1 1/2 hours.
- F
Install emergency lighting that can last at least 1 1/2 hours.
- F
Have properly located and lighted "Exit" signs.
Services3E
- E
Ensure heating and ventilation systems that have been properly installed according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- E
Have properly installed electrical wiring and gas equipment.
- E
Ensure heating and ventilation systems that have been properly installed according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems2F
- F
Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
- E
Have proper medical gas storage and administration areas.
Miscellaneous2F
- F
Have simulated fire drills held at unexpected times.
- E
To conduct inspection, testing and maintenance of fire doors by qualified individuals.
Emergency Preparedness1F
- F
Develop and maintain an Emergency Preparedness Program (EP).
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Other homes nearby
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Betty Dare Wellness & Rehabilitation LLC
Alamogordo, NM · Opco Skilled Management
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- F
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 39 min
- Fines
- $0
-
Casa Arena Healthcare LLC
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★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- L
- Nursing / resident / day
- 2 h 53 min
- Fines
- $124,375
-
Sunset Villa Healthcare
Roswell, NM · Opco Skilled Management · Abuse icon
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- H
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 41 min
- Fines
- $80,968