The state of Ohio inspects and regulates nursing homes per the Older Americans Act. Several state departments and offices oversee nursing homes in the state, including the Department of Health, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman's office and the Department of Aging. As of 2010, Springfield, Ohio, has 12 nursing homes with more than 1,000 residents and more than 1,200 beds.
Ohio Department of Health
The Ohio Department of Health licenses almost 1,000 nursing homes and certifies them for Medicare and Medicaid. The state's Department of Health Division of Quality Assurance inspects nursing homes for state and federal regulatory compliance and investigates complaints about nursing homes. Inspection reports result in nursing homes rated by facility, county, state and national standards on inspection deficiencies, by year-over-year improvements, by resident condition and by nursing home staffing.
Ohio Long-Term Care Ombudsman
The Ohio Long-Term Care Ombudsman helps people in nursing homes, in assisted living facilities and in receiving in-home care through complaint resolution, provider sourcing and education on benefits and consumer rights. The ombudsman works with providers, nursing home residents and their families and others involved in nursing home care to link patients with services and provide advice and information. The state has 12 regional long-term care ombudsman programs and publishes an interactive guide on nursing homes. The long-term care ombudsman that serves Springfield, in Clark County, is in Dayton.
Ohio Department of Aging
The Ohio Department of Aging is the department that oversees quality of life and personal choice issues for elderly and disabled Ohio residents and their caregivers, as required by the federal Older Americans Act. Strategic issues that the Ohio Department of Aging plans for include active and healthy aging, caregiver support, infrastructure, health care workforce and the system of long-term supports and services. The department has several divisions to accomplish goals, including an Elder Rights Division, a Communication Division and an Older Americans Act Programs Division. The Department of Aging provides many resources for the elderly in Ohio and their caregivers, such as Alzheimer's Disease Education, webinars and publications about elder care issues like caregiver support, Medicaid waiver programs and the Older Americans Act.
Highest Rated
The three Springfield, Ohio, nursing homes with the highest ratings from 2009 state inspections are Forest Glen Health Campus on Middle Urbana Road, Mercy St. John's Center on West McCreight Avenue and Springfield Masonic Community on West National Road. These three facilities received five out of five stars in the inspection rating system of the Ohio Department of Health.
Lowest Rated
The two Springfield, Ohio, nursing homes with the lowest ratings from 2009 state inspections are Good Shepherd Village on North Burnett Road and Heartland of Springfield on Derr Road. These two facilities received only one out of five stars in the inspection rating system of the Ohio Department of Health.
