Nursing home safety in Alabama
Alabama has 149 Medicare-certified nursing homes. They average 2.74 out of 5 CMS stars (0.24 worse than the national average), carry 11.4 health-inspection citations each, and 7 are listed with an abuse icon by CMS in this source snapshot. Federal penalties total $2,615,479. CMS abuse-icon records and a separate star-record sample are named below.
Source: CMS Care Compare — Provider Information released 2026-08-06; source data last modified 2026-07-29. Free to cite with attribution to Haven.
CMS source snapshot: 20 days old. These are historical CMS fields from a dated source release, not live proof of availability, certification status, an inspection outcome, or an individual's care fit.
Staffing in Alabama averages 3.81 nurse hours per resident per day (0.08 worse than the national average). Citations average 11.4 per home (18.9 better than the national average)— though citation counts reflect how aggressively a state's survey agency inspects, so they compare poorly across state lines.
Alabama homes listed with a CMS abuse icon
CMS applies this icon when a facility was cited for abuse-related deficiencies on a recent inspection. It is a serious signal, not a verdict — read the specific citations in the linked record and ask the administrator directly.
- Cordova Health and Rehabilitation, LLC (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Cordova · 1★
- Birmingham Nursing and Rehabilitation Ctr LLC (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Birmingham · 1★
- Magnolia Ridge (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Gardendale · 1★
- Walker Rehabilitation Center, INC (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Carbon Hill · 1★
- The Health Center at Research Park (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Huntsville · 1★
- Merry Wood Lodge (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Elmore · 1★
- NHC Healthcare, Anniston (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Anniston · 2★
Special Focus Facilities in Alabama
CMS's own list of homes with a persistent record of poor care. They are inspected about twice as often as other facilities and can be terminated from Medicare and Medicaid if they do not improve.
- Magnolia Ridge (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Gardendale · SFF Candidate
- Walker Rehabilitation Center, INC (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Carbon Hill · SFF Candidate
- Knollwood Healthcare (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Mobile · SFF
- Merry Wood Lodge (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Elmore · SFF Candidate
- Falkville Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Falkville · SFF Candidate
CMS four- and five-star records in Alabama
Four and five-star homes with no abuse flag and no Special Focus status in this CMS snapshot. The first 10 are shown in neutral name order; these source fields are not a Haven recommendation.
Largest federal penalties in Alabama
Civil monetary penalties follow serious deficiencies. A large fine history is a question to raise, not an automatic disqualification — some homes correct course, and the citations tell you which.
- Magnolia Ridge · Gardendale (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$392,125
- Knollwood Healthcare · Mobile (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$318,070
- Windsor House · Huntsville (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$266,231
- Walker Rehabilitation Center, INC · Carbon Hill (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$235,127
- Northside Health Care · Gadsden (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$221,520
- Merry Wood Lodge · Elmore (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$182,968
- Falkville Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center · Falkville (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$146,615
- Diversicare of Oxford · Oxford (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$111,900
- Glen Haven Health and Rehabilitation, LLC · Northport (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$81,335
- Greenway Health and Rehabilitation Center, LLC · Grand Bay (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$78,421
Alabama nursing homes: common questions
How many nursing homes in Alabama have been flagged for abuse?
7 of 149 CMS-certified nursing homes in Alabama (4.7%) are listed with the federal abuse icon in the CMS snapshot used for this report. CMS applies the icon when a facility has been cited for abuse-related deficiencies on a recent inspection. The national rate in this same snapshot is 9.9%. Every listed home is named on this page.
What is the average nursing home rating in Alabama?
Alabama nursing homes average 2.74 out of 5 on the CMS overall star rating, across 148 rated facilities. The national average is 2.98. Staffing averages 3.81 total nurse hours per resident per day versus 3.89 nationally.
Which nursing homes in Alabama are on the Special Focus list?
5 Alabama facilities are designated a Special Focus Facility or candidate — CMS's list of homes with a persistent record of poor care, which face roughly double the normal inspection frequency and possible termination from Medicare and Medicaid. They are listed by name on this page.
How much have Alabama nursing homes been fined?
Federal civil monetary penalties against Alabama nursing homes total $2,615,479 in the CMS release used for this report. Fines follow serious deficiencies, so a large penalty history is worth asking a facility about directly — they are required to discuss their inspection record with you.
Worried about a specific home in Alabama?
Open a named home's linked CMS record to review the source fields behind this report, then use the assessment and comparison tools to prepare questions, then confirm current price, availability, and care acceptance directly with each home.