Federal inspection record · CMS data as of October 1, 2026
Waters Of Columbia City Skilled Nursing Facility
640 W Ellsworth St, Columbia City, IN · (260) 248-8101
- Certified beds
- 84
- Residents per day
- 40
- Ownership
- For-Profit
- Chain
- Infinity Healthcare Consulting
- Medicare / Medicaid
- Medicare + Medicaid
- Certified since
- January 3, 1974
1
How this home got 3 stars
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 Indiana.
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Staffing
★★★★★no change
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
★★★★★+1 star
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
★★★★★3 of 5
Matches the rating CMS publishes on Care Compare.
2
Where it sits among Indiana homes
Waters Of Columbia City Skilled Nursing Facility carries 74.5 inspection points. That is fewer than 18% of Indiana's 504 rated homes.
Inspectors' citations earn points by how serious and how widespread they were (the grid below). CMS then ranks every home in Indiana: 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★ 0–9 pts
- 4★ 9–24 pts
- 3★ 24–42 pts
- 2★ 42–72 pts
- 1★ over 72 pts
Bars show every rated home in Indiana 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
17 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.
Harm and immediate-jeopardy citations (2)
-
J
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
-
J
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Everything else, by area of care
Resident Rights5E
- E
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
- E
Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
- E
Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
- D
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
- D
Keep residents' personal and medical records private and confidential.
Quality of Life and Care3D
- D
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
- D
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
- D
Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Nutrition and Dietary2F
- 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.
Pharmacy Service2D
- D
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.
- D
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 Control2E
- E
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
- E
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Nursing and Physician Services1E
- E
Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Inspection history
2025-12-12
5 health deficiencies · 6 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Quality of Life and Care (2 deficiencies)
2024-10-21
5 health deficiencies · 13 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Infection Control (1 deficiency)
2023-09-29
7 health deficiencies · 4 fire-safety deficiencies
Top issue: Resident Rights (3 deficiencies)
4
Nursing time per resident, per day
Each resident here gets about 2 h 54 min of nursing staff time a day, 1 h 8 min of it from a registered nurse.
This home
2 h 54 min
Indiana average
3 h 44 min
U.S. average
3 h 54 min
- Registered nurse
- Licensed practical nurse
- Nurse aide
Turnover: 66% of nursing staff and 38% of registered nurses left in the past year.
Reported hours from payroll data the home submits to CMS, divided by its daily resident count. Not adjusted for how sick residents are.
5
Fines and payment denials
$60,590 in federal fines on record over the past three years.
| Date | Penalty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-02-22 | Fine | $60,590 |
6
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 vaccine6.3 pts better | 100.0% | 93.7% | 93.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine4.9 pts better | 100.0% | 95.1% | 95.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury0.9 pts worse | 4.7% | 3.8% | 3.2% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms2.1 pts worse | 27.6% | 25.5% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who lose too much weight0.5 pts better | 4.8% | 5.3% | 5.1% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication12.2 pts worse | 35.7% | 23.5% | 19.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication6.2 pts better | 7.5% | 13.7% | 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 ability to walk independently worsened5.2 pts better | 5.9% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased8.4 pts better | 2.4% | 10.8% | 13.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder0.3 pts worse | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection1.1 pts better | 0.0% | 1.1% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence8.7 pts worse | 31.1% | 22.4% | 18.3% |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers0.9 pts better | 2.6% | 3.5% | 4.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine15.4 pts better | 97.3% | 81.9% | 82.3% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who had an outpatient emergency department visitAbout the same | 10.9% | 10.9% | 11.8% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who newly received an antipsychotic medication1.1 pts better | 0.0% | 1.1% | 1.5% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine11.1 pts better | 90.3% | 79.2% | 80.1% |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were rehospitalized after a nursing home admission6.5 pts better | 15.3% | 21.8% | 23.4% |
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Who owns and runs it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson Memorial Hospital | 5% Or Greater Direct Ownership Interest · Organization | 100% | 35 facilities |
| Baker, Stephen | Contracted Managing Employee · Individual | 0% | 2 facilities |
| Berkhouse, Steven | Corporate Director · Individual | 0% | 21 facilities |
| Berkhouse, Steven | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 21 facilities |
| Decola, Robert | W-2 Managing Employee · Individual | 0% | 33 facilities |
| Dunkle, David | Corporate Director · Individual | 0% | 35 facilities |
| Dunkle, David | Corporate Officer · Individual | 0% | 35 facilities |
| Dunkle, David | Operational/Managerial Control · Individual | 0% | 35 facilities |
| The Waters Of Columbia City Skilled Nursing Facility LLC | Operational/Managerial Control · Organization | 0% | 1 facilities |
·
Fire safety
23 life-safety citations (sprinklers, exits, alarms). These don't count toward the star rating.
Emergency Preparedness9F
- F
Address subsistence needs for staff and patients.
- F
Create arrangements with other facilities to receive patients.
- F
Conduct risk assessment and an All-Hazards approach.
- C
Develop Emergency Preparedness policies and procedures.
- C
Develop a communication plan.
- C
Establish emergency prep training and testing.
- C
Establish staff and initial training requirements.
- C
Develop and maintain an Emergency Preparedness Program (EP).
- F
Conduct testing and exercise requirements.
Smoke6F
- F
Have approved installation, maintenance and testing program for fire alarm systems.
- F
Install an approved automatic sprinkler system.
- D
Ensure that special areas are constructed so that walls can resist fire for one hour or have an approved fire extinguishing system.
- E
Ensure that special areas are constructed so that walls can resist fire for one hour or have an approved fire extinguishing system.
- E
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
- E
Properly select, install, inspect, or maintain portable fire extinguishes.
Miscellaneous3F
- F
Have simulated fire drills held at unexpected times.
- F
To conduct inspection, testing and maintenance of fire doors by qualified individuals.
- F
Have simulated fire drills held at unexpected times.
Egress2E
- D
Keep aisles, corridors, and exits free of obstruction in case of emergency.
- E
Provide exit doors that are held open by devices that will automatically close on the activation of a fire alarm or smoke detector.
Services2E
- E
Have properly installed electrical wiring and gas equipment.
- E
Have elevators that firefighters can control in the event of a fire.
Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems1E
- E
Ensure proper usage of power strips and extension cords.
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Other homes nearby
-
Miller's At Oak Pointe
Columbia City, IN · Miller's Merry Manor
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- F
- Nursing / resident / day
- 4 h 10 min
- Fines
- $0
-
Majestic Care Of West Allen
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★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- J
- Nursing / resident / day
- 2 h 50 min
- Fines
- $21,645
-
Sage Bluff Health and Rehab Center
Fort Wayne, IN · Major Hospital
★★★★★- Worst citation, 3 yrs
- E
- Nursing / resident / day
- 3 h 45 min
- Fines
- $0