NEWS

The Cedars at the JCA Upgraded to Five Stars in Federal Nursing Home Ratings
For further information contact
Amy Meier
314 721-5050
ameier@weintraubadv.com

February 5, 2009 - The Cedars at the JCA has earned a top-ranking five out of five possible stars in a new nursing home rating system released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers those programs.

After receiving a four-star rating in December 2008, The Cedars at The JCA immediately addressed the issues that were holding them back and were reassigned a rating of five stars.

"We've always known we are a five-star facility, and we felt it was important that others know that as well," said Ken Rubin, president of the JCA Board of Directors. "So we revisited our evaluation and made the necessary changes to meet the highest expectations of the CMS."

The rating system is designed to give individuals seeking residential care for their loved ones a simple, at-a-glance indicator of a nursing home's overall quality. The CMS's ratings are based on three separate components: the results of recent health inspections by state and federal investigators, self-reported nurse-to-patient ratios and self-reported compliance with 19 specific quality-of-life measures. Ratings for all 15,800 nursing homes nationwide that accept Medicare and Medicaid can be found at www.medicare.gov/NHCompare, where visitors can select multiple nursing homes to compare side-by-side.

"We're very happy that families searching for residential care will learn what Cedars residents and their families already know: The Cedars at the JCA is one of the premier senior care facilities in the St. Louis area," said Rubin.

Founded in 1907 as the Orthodox Jewish Old Folks Home, the Cedars at the JCA now offers 252 beds and encompasses 34 acres at its west county location. The Cedars offers a continuum of care services consisting of The Rehabilitation Center of West County, an expanded rehabilitation center on the Cedars campus, skilled nursing, special Alzheimer's programs, residential care II, and an on-site dialysis center. The Cedars is located at 13190 South Outer 40 Road in Town and Country, MO, 63017. For more information, call 314-991-1193 or visit www.cedarsjca.com. For volunteer opportunities at The Cedars contact Judy Pontello, Volunteer Coordinator, at 314-754-2160 or via email at Judith.Pontello@cedarsjca.com.

Twenty St. Louis area nursing homes earn top ratings
By Blythe Bernhard
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

12/18/2008 - Starting today, a five-star federal rating system is availble for all nursing homes in the country.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services today released ratings on the homes based on health inspections, staffing ratios and quality of care. Consumer groups hail the rating system as a victory for families researching long-term care for loved ones. Nursing home trade groups have called the system oversimplified and incomplete.

Of the 150 nursing homes in the St. Louis area, 33 received just one star and 20 received the highest mark of five stars. To view the ratings, visit http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/.