Ventura County's 19 skilled nursing facilities largely perform better than statewide averages, though there are several outliers, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.Skilled nursing facilities, commonly called nursing homes, are one of the most regulated types of care facilities for elderly residents and other patients. The homes provide 24-hour nursing care as well as rehabilitation for individuals recovering from an illness, injury or hospitalization — typically on a temporary basis until they can return home.
When combining the total number of complaints, deficiencies and enforcement actions between 2023 and 2025, Ventura County facilities range from a low of 23 to a high of 453, with a median of 135.
Shoreline
Care Center in Oxnard, Ojai Health and Rehabilitation, Victoria Care Center in Ventura, Greenfield Care Center of Fillmore and Simi Healthcare Center tallied the highest totals.
Sarah Abrams, executive director of the Ventura County Ombudsman Program — a nonprofit that advocates for elderly and disabled residents at local long-term care facilities, said that with Ventura County's aging population, the need for high-quality care facilities is greater than ever.
“The important thing as we’re looking at the population is to ensure there are agencies in place to guarantee the oversight and to make sure that residents are being taken care of the way that they need to be taken care of and deserve to be taken care of," she said.
Understanding the data
The California Department of Public Health, the agency responsible for licensing and overseeing skilled nursing facilities, uses three primary data points: complaints, survey deficiencies and enforcement actions.
Complaints, or reports of a facility’s alleged noncompliance with state or federal regulations, can be filed by residents, relatives and members of the public.
“I give the most weight to the complaint number,” said Anthony Chicotel, an attorney with California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. “The number of complaints is the best proxy we have for the resident experience.”
He said that while it is expected for a facility with more residents to have more complaints, understaffing should not be used as an excuse because the state has required ratios.
For skilled nursing facilities, California requires registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses and certified nursing assistants to provide each patient at least 3.5 hours of total direct care each day.
The agency investigates each complaint and determines whether or not it is substantiated. Chicotel said that although the vast majority of complaints are unsubstantiated, he still doesn't discount them because it reflects the workload of investigators rather than the merits of the complaints.
In Ventura County, the median number of complaints at skilled nursing facilities is 93.
Survey deficiencies are violations of state or federal regulations that the department records during an inspection. The median number of deficiencies for Ventura County facilities is 39.
Finally, enforcement actions are administrative penalties or state citations that the department issues to a facility that fails to comply with regulations. The local median is one per facility.
Chicotel said the penalties and citations are rare, in part, because they automatically carry monetary fines ranging from $100 to $100,000.
“I think because there are dollars automatically attached, the state is reluctant to issue state enforcement unless it’s really serious: Someone was either really harmed or the potential for harm was really great,” he said.
Shoreline Care Center
Of the 19 skilled nursing facilities in Ventura County, Shoreline Care Center in Oxnard received the most complaints, deficiencies and enforcement actions combined over the previous three years, with 453, according to state data.
While the number of deficiencies and enforcement actions for 5225 S. J St. are the same as or less than the statewide averages for facilities of the same type and size, the number of complaints is significantly higher.
They ranged from reports of residents left soiled for extended periods of time and families not updated on changes in residents' condition to reports of cold food and residents not offered snacks overnight.
However, the state found that the majority of complaints were unsubstantiated, and Shoreline is also the largest skilled nursing facility in the county with 193 beds.
Under the five-star rating system the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services established to help consumers compare nursing homes, Shoreline has two stars.
The facility did not respond to interview requests.
Ojai Health and Rehabilitation
Located at 601 N. Montgomery St., Ojai Health and Rehabilitation has the second highest number of complaints, deficiencies and enforcement actions combined over the previous three years, with 225 total.
In each of the three categories, the 74-bed facility has higher numbers than statewide averages, according to the Department of Public Health.
Data show Ojai Health and Rehabilitation received five enforcement actions from 2023 through 2025, which is more than the other four facilities. The five state citations, for patient care and reporting of abuse, amounted to nearly $50,000 in fines.
Ojai Health and Rehabilitation received three stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The facility did not respond to interview requests.
Victoria Care Center
Victoria Care Center in Ventura has 208 complaints, deficiencies and enforcement actions combined over the previous three years, according to the Department of Public Health.
The 5445 Everglades St. facility, however, has lower-than-average numbers in all three categories. With 188 beds, Victoria Care Center is the second-largest skilled nursing facility in the county.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rated it five stars.
Victoria Care Center did not respond to interview requests.
Greenfield Care Center of Fillmore
Greenfield Care Center of Fillmore has 182 complaints, deficiencies and enforcement actions combined from 2023 through 2025, according to the Department of Public Health.
Located at 118 B St., the skilled nursing facility has fewer deficiencies and enforcement actions than the statewide average, and a slightly above average number of complaints.
The 99-bed facility has a five-star Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rating.
Greenfield Care Center did not respond to interview requests.
Simi Healthcare Center
Department of Public Health data indicate that Simi Healthcare Center has 171 complaints, deficiencies and enforcement actions combined over the previous three years.
With 99 beds at 5270 E. Los Angeles Ave., the facility has fewer complaints and enforcement actions than the state average and about the same number of deficiencies.
Spokesperson Dan Kramer said the facility’s primary goal will always be providing the best quality care for patients.
“Simi Healthcare Center has consistently prioritized the highest regulatory and ethical standards in all our business processes,” he wrote in an email. “And as always, we are committed to identifying opportunities to provide further clinical excellence and extraordinary service offered in an atmosphere of compassion, hospitality, respect and dignity.”
Simi Healthcare Center has three stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Advice for families
Chicotel understands the stress that comes with selecting a skilled nursing facility.
Most residents are admitted directly from the hospital, which means their families are most likely choosing a facility for them in a short time frame. Not all facilities contract with Medicare or Medi-Cal, which further limits the options.
“I really want to stress to people that they have every right to put the brakes on a proposed discharge and take the time to do the research and demand that they go to a place that is safe and appropriate,” he said. “They probably have more choice than they think or they are led to believe at the hospital.”
There is far more data available about nursing homes now than there was 15 years ago, and the attorney encourages families to take advantage of it. The Department of Public Health has a tool to compare facilities, and higher-than-average numbers, he said, should be a red flag.
He also encourages families to visit facilities in person, especially on weekends or evenings.
Abrams, with the county ombudsman program, advises families to research whether a specific facility can meet the resident’s needs, determine how they will afford the care or ensure the facility accepts their insurance, review contracts and policies in advance and plan for healthcare directives or emergency contacts if unable to communicate.
The ombudsman program offers pre-placement counseling for individuals and families, and if family members are concerned about the level of care at a skilled nursing facility, they can contact the nonprofit for advocacy and resources.
The advocates make unannounced visits to each facility in Ventura County at least once per month, the executive director said.
“The important thing to remember is that although the residents are in a facility being taken care of, that doesn’t remove the right that they have for quality care,” Abrams said.
Makena Huey is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at makena.huey@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Here's what state records reveal about Ventura County's nursing homes
