Avalon Healthcare Bellingham
3121 Squalicum Parkway, Bellingham, WA 98225
Avalon Healthcare Bellingham, a 105-bed for profit - corporation nursing facility in Bellingham, WA, holds a 5-star CMS overall rating - well above the 3.0-star national average, ranking #34 of 191 rated homes in WA on CMS overall stars (with health+staffing+quality tie-breaks), with nurse staffing above the national norm. 2 inspection findings reached the actual-harm or immediate-jeopardy level.
CMS combines health inspections, nurse-staffing levels, and clinical quality measures into the overall star rating, read the components below; they often tell a sharper story than the headline.
Phone: 3607346760
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- 5 / 5
- Much above average · CMS overall · nat'l 3.0
- #34 of 191
- In-state rank among rated WA homes
- 4.50
- Well above average · nurse hrs/day · nat'l 3.86
- 29
- Inspection findings · 2 serious
The verdict
Avalon Healthcare Bellingham, a 105-bed for profit - corporation nursing facility in Bellingham, WA, holds a 5-star CMS overall rating - well above the 3.0-star national average, ranking #34 of 191 rated homes in WA on CMS overall stars (with health+staffing+quality tie-breaks), with nurse staffing above the national norm. 2 inspection findings reached the actual-harm or immediate-jeopardy level.
- 5 / 5
- CMS overall · national 3.0
- #34 of 191
- In-state rank among rated WA homes
- 4.50
- Nurse hrs/resident-day · national 3.86
- 29
- Inspection findings · 2 serious
CMS force-curves overall stars within each state; read health, staffing, and quality sub-ratings alongside the headline.
In-state ownership mix · peer inventory
How 193 WA nursing homes split by ownership sector
This facility is recorded as For profit - Corporation. Sector buckets collapse CMS ownership_type into For-profit, Nonprofit, and Government, orthogonal to the RN/LPN/CNA hour bar below.
Health Inspection
Staffing
Quality Measures
Long-Stay Quality
Facility Information
- Provider Number
- 505296
- Ownership
- For profit - Corporation
- Provider Type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Beds
- 105
- Residents
- 66
- In Hospital
- No
- County
- Whatcom
- Last Inspection
- Dec 5, 2025
Staffing Data
How the 4.50 total nursing hours per resident-day are staffed:
- RN Hours
- 1.21 (nat'l avg: 0.69)
- LPN Hours
- 0.80
- CNA Hours
- 2.50
- Total Nursing Hours
- 4.50 (nat'l avg: 3.86)
- PT Hours
- 0.10
- Nursing Turnover
- 52.3%
- RN Turnover
- 41.2%
What the CMS Record Reveals About Avalon Healthcare Bellingham
According to CMS Nursing Home Compare, Avalon Healthcare Bellingham ranks #34 of 191 rated nursing homes in WA on overall stars (tie-broken by health+staffing+quality, then fewer fines). Avalon Healthcare Bellingham operates 105 certified beds in Bellingham, WA with approximately 66 residents currently in care, and carries a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars (health inspection 4★ · staffing 4★ · quality 5★).
The inspection file contains 29 deficiency records from recent surveys, of which 2 reached the actual-harm or immediate-jeopardy threshold on the CMS scope-and-severity grid. CMS enforcement records show 1 penalty totaling $32K levied against this facility. Reported nurse staffing runs 4.50 total hours per resident day (national average 3.86); RN hours specifically are 1.21 per resident day.
Classified as "For profit - Corporation" ownership and operating as a "Medicare and Medicaid" provider, Avalon Healthcare Bellingham falls into a category where comparative context matters. Reported nursing staff turnover at this facility is 52.3% (CMS payroll-based measure).
Why sub-scores and the CMS methodology matter
The overall score is a composite of three weighted sub-ratings published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: health inspection results, staffing levels, and quality measures. Because CMS caps the overall score at the health-inspection tier and then adjusts up or down based on staffing and quality, the sub-scores often tell a sharper story than the headline star count alone, a 3-star facility with weak inspection history reads differently from one held back by thin staffing.
National research consistently shows that ownership structure, staffing hours, and turnover are the three operational levers that correlate most strongly with resident outcomes, ratings and fines are lagging indicators of those upstream choices. The staffing metric in particular is the one most strongly tied to resident outcomes in peer-reviewed literature.
For families evaluating this facility, the CMS record should be read alongside a site visit, direct conversation with current residents and their families, and review of the state health department's most recent inspection report, the star rating is a starting point, not a verdict. All data on this page is sourced from CMS Provider Data and the Nursing Home Compare program; always verify the same record on Medicare.gov Care Compare and with the facility or your state survey agency before making placement decisions.
Deficiency History (29 most recent)
Educate residents and staff on COVID-19 vaccination, offer the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible residents and staff after education, and properly document each resident and staff member's vaccination status.
Category: Infection Control Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 5, 2026
Develop and implement policies and procedures for flu and pneumonia vaccinations.
Category: Infection Control Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 5, 2026
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.
Category: Pharmacy Service Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 5, 2026
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 5, 2026
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 5, 2026
Provide appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 5, 2026
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 5, 2026
Create and put into place a plan for meeting the resident's most immediate needs within 48 hours of being admitted
Category: Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 5, 2026
Prevent the use of unnecessary psychotropic medications or use medications that may restrain a resident's ability to function.
Category: Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 5, 2026
Provide appropriate care for a resident to maintain and/or improve range of motion (ROM), limited ROM and/or mobility, unless a decline is for a medical reason.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 5, 2026
Provide appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: May 15, 2025
Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.
Category: Resident Rights Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 29, 2025
Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 3, 2025
Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 3, 2025
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Category: Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 3, 2025
Give the resident's representative the ability to exercise the resident's rights.
Category: Resident Rights Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 3, 2025
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 3, 2025
Ensure the activities program is directed by a qualified professional.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Jan 3, 2025
Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
Category: Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies
Corrected: Sep 19, 2024
Keep residents' personal and medical records private and confidential.
Category: Resident Rights Deficiencies
Corrected: Sep 17, 2024
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Sep 19, 2024
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.
Category: Resident Rights Deficiencies
Corrected: Apr 9, 2024
Provide or get specialized rehabilitative services as required for a resident.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Feb 1, 2024
Ensure each resident’s drug regimen must be free from unnecessary drugs.
Category: Pharmacy Service Deficiencies
Corrected: Feb 1, 2024
Provide safe, appropriate pain management for a resident who requires such services.
Category: Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Corrected: Feb 1, 2024
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Category: Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Corrected: Feb 1, 2024
Assess the resident completely in a timely manner when first admitted, and then periodically, at least every 12 months.
Category: Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Corrected: Feb 1, 2024
Let each resident or the resident's legal representative access or purchase copies of all the resident's records.
Category: Resident Rights Deficiencies
Corrected: Feb 1, 2024
Designate a qualified infection preventionist to be responsible for the infection prevent and control program in the nursing home.
Category: Infection Control Deficiencies
Corrected: Feb 1, 2024
Quality Measures
| Measure | Type | Score | Used in Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose need for help with daily activities has increased | Long Stay | 15.2% | Yes |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a catheter inserted and left in their bladder | Long Stay | 0.0% | Yes |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with a urinary tract infection | Long Stay | 0.0% | Yes |
| Percentage of long-stay residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury | Long Stay | 3.9% | Yes |
| Percentage of long-stay residents whose ability to walk independently worsened | Long Stay | 26.0% | Yes |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with pressure ulcers | Long Stay | 1.6% | Yes |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antipsychotic medication | Long Stay | 5.9% | Yes |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who newly received an antipsychotic medication | Short Stay | 0.0% | Yes |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who lose too much weight | Long Stay | 1.8% | No |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who have depressive symptoms | Long Stay | 36.3% | No |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who were physically restrained | Long Stay | 0.0% | No |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine | Long Stay | 100.0% | No |
| Percentage of long-stay residents who received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication | Long Stay | 14.8% | No |
| Percentage of long-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine | Long Stay | 100.0% | No |
| Percentage of long-stay residents with new or worsened bowel or bladder incontinence | Long Stay | 26.7% | No |
| Percentage of short-stay residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine | Short Stay | 97.0% | No |
| Percentage of short-stay residents who were assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine | Short Stay | 98.0% | No |
Penalty History 1 penalties totaling $32K
| Date | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 2025 | Fine | $32K |
Nationwide facilities with similar scale or staffing
Two data-derived peer sets for Avalon Healthcare Bellingham, both outside WA so the neighborhoods are not the same-state geography list below.
Similar bed count
Nearest CMS certified bed counts outside WA (105 beds here).
Similar staffing hours
Nearest CMS adjusted total nurse hours per resident day outside WA (3.75 here).
Nearby Nursing Homes in WA
192 other nursing homes are on record in WA; 6 are shown here.
Agility Health and Rehabilitation
University Place, WA
Alaska Gardens Health and Rehabilitation
Tacoma, WA
Alderwood Manor
Spokane, WA
Alderwood Park Health and Rehab of Cascadia
Bellingham, WA
Alderwood Post Acute & Rehabilitation
Lynnwood, WA
Americana Health and Rehabilitation
Longview, WA
Understanding Nursing Home Data
What the CMS records show for Avalon Healthcare Bellingham
The health, staffing, and quality sub-ratings above often diverge from the CMS overall headline. Use those components and the inspection findings to read the full file, not the overall star alone.
- The WA registry aggregates state averages and the highest-rated homes in this cohort. View WA registry
- Peer homes near 105 beds show how CMS stars vary at a similar scale in WA. Compare a similar-size peer
- CMS publishes separate fields for inspections, nurse staffing hours, and quality measures; the guide explains how each star is computed. How CMS ratings work
CMS refreshes Nursing Home Compare quarterly (current extract: August 2026). PlainNursing describes published records; it does not establish suitability, availability, admissions, or individual outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the overall CMS rating for Avalon Healthcare Bellingham?
Where does Avalon Healthcare Bellingham rank among nursing homes in WA?
What are the staffing levels at Avalon Healthcare Bellingham?
How many beds does Avalon Healthcare Bellingham have?
Does Avalon Healthcare Bellingham have any deficiencies on record?
Has Avalon Healthcare Bellingham received any fines or penalties?
Who owns Avalon Healthcare Bellingham?
When was Avalon Healthcare Bellingham last inspected?
What quality measures are tracked for Avalon Healthcare Bellingham?
Data Sources
Data source: CMS Nursing Home Compare. Ratings, staffing, deficiency, quality measure, and penalty data are from CMS Provider Data. For informational purposes only. Verify the same CCN on Medicare.gov Care Compare and with the facility or your state health department.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
