Santa Cruz Post Acute ranked as Santa Cruz County’s largest nursing home in Q1

Santa Cruz Post Acute emerged as the largest nursing home in Santa Cruz County during the first quarter of 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported.

The facility provided 149 beds, exceeding the county’s first-quarter 2026 average by 45 beds. On average, they served 143.7 residents throughout the period.

CMS assigned Santa Cruz Post Acute an overall rating of 2 out of 5, which is lower than California’s average nursing home rating of 3.2.

Redwood Grove Post Acute was the second largest nursing home with 144 beds, followed by Pacific Coast Manor with 99 beds in the county for the quarter.

By the first quarter of 2026, Santa Cruz Post Acute had paid $160,564 from three fines and received three penalties.

There were a total of seven for-profit nursing homes in Santa Cruz County, California.

As estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau, the nation’s older adult demographic continues to rise while younger cohorts decline. Between 2020 and 2024, Americans ages 65 and older grew by 13%, while those under 18 dropped by 1.7%. The country’s older adult population increased from 4.9 million in 1920 to over 61 million by 2024.

A 2021 study found that nearly half of the older adult group, approximately 28 million people, may require long-term services and support. The study also predicts that over a third could eventually need care in a nursing home.

“Living a long life is something that many of us want and could get,” said Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, an insurance education organization. “But when we live a long life, the chances of us needing long-term care increase exponentially. But when you need that type of care, there are limited options.”

This article is based on information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The original data can be accessed here.