El Centro Post-Acute

    1700 S Imperial Ave, El Centro, CA, 92243
    4.0 · 72 reviews
    • Assisted living
    • Memory care
    • Skilled nursing
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    2.0

    Kind staff but dangerous neglect

    I had a mixed, emotionally exhausting experience. Many caregivers were kind, attentive and professional-beautiful, clean common areas, warm décor, good food, and solid therapy and nursing services when they showed up. But I also saw dangerous neglect: delayed responses (paramedics summoned after a wait), wrong meds, a stage-III bedsore, mishandled belongings, dismissive staff and recurring odor/cleanliness problems-I removed my loved one after three days. There are signs of improvement under new management and some outstanding staff, but serious safety and accountability issues remain.

    Pricing

    Schedule a Tour

    Amenities

    Healthcare services

    • Activities of daily living assistance
    • Assistance with bathing
    • Assistance with dressing
    • Assistance with transfers
    • Medication management
    • Mental wellness program

    Healthcare staffing

    • 12-16 hour nursing
    • 24-hour call system
    • 24-hour supervision

    Meals and dining

    • Diabetes diet
    • Meal preparation and service
    • Restaurant-style dining
    • Special dietary restrictions

    Room

    • Air-conditioning
    • Cable
    • Fully furnished
    • Housekeeping and linen services
    • Kitchenettes
    • Private bathrooms
    • Telephone
    • Wifi

    Transportation

    • Community operated transportation
    • Transportation arrangement
    • Transportation arrangement (non-medical)

    Common areas

    • Beauty salon
    • Computer center
    • Dining room
    • Fitness room
    • Gaming room
    • Garden
    • Outdoor space
    • Small library
    • Wellness center

    Community services

    • Concierge services
    • Fitness programs
    • Move-in coordination

    Activities

    • Community-sponsored activities
    • Planned day trips
    • Resident-run activities
    • Scheduled daily activities

    3.96 · 72 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      3.4
    • Staff

      3.7
    • Meals

      4.0
    • Amenities

      2.8
    • Value

      1.0

    Pros

    • Attentive, compassionate CNAs and nursing staff (many reports)
    • 24/7 nursing coverage and skilled therapies available
    • Robust physical therapy program (daily PT; at least one report of regained strength in 20 days)
    • Occupational therapy and respiratory therapy available
    • Wound care services available
    • Dietician oversight and generally praised meals (fruit, soup, homemade options)
    • Clean and modernized areas reported by multiple reviewers
    • Comfortable beds, warm décor, relaxing outdoor lawn area
    • Helpful, supportive admissions/reception staff
    • Multilingual/Spanish-friendly staff and positive Spanish-language feedback
    • Engaging activities and entertainment for residents
    • Some reviewers note clear administrative responsiveness and helpful management
    • Many reviewers explicitly recommend the facility to family and friends

    Cons

    • Repeated reports of neglect and delayed responses to call lights
    • Serious wound-care failures reported (stage III bedsore in one review)
    • Delays or failures in arranging urgent hospital transfers; paramedics summoned after delays
    • Medication errors and at least one near-overdose / wrong-medication incident
    • Lost, mishandled, or misplaced personal belongings; room reassignment given away in at least one case
    • Rude or unprofessional staff behavior reported by several reviewers
    • Poor cleanliness and persistent foul odor reported by multiple reviewers
    • Inconsistent care quality across shifts/staff — highly variable experiences
    • Allegations of abuse or inhumane treatment and reports of investigations not being followed through
    • Worn-down facility areas and old equipment reported alongside newer/upgraded areas
    • Communication gaps and occasional unresponsiveness to family inquiries and calls
    • Some reviewers call for formal investigations or closure due to safety concerns

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment in the reviews for El Centro Post-Acute is highly mixed and polarized: many reviewers praise compassionate caregivers, effective therapy programs, and good dining, while a substantial minority describe serious safety and quality failures including neglect, medication errors, and poor hygiene. The pattern suggests that experiences vary widely by unit, shift, or timeframe — some families encountered a modernized, well-run environment with caring staff; others reported incidents they considered severe enough to remove their loved ones immediately or to involve authorities.

    Care quality and clinical services: A common positive theme is the availability of skilled clinical services — reviewers repeatedly cite 24/7 nursing coverage, CNAs attentive to activities of daily living, and access to PT, OT, respiratory therapy, and wound care. Several reviewers singled out physical therapy as a strength, including one who reported a family member regaining strength after 20 days of daily PT. Conversely, there are multiple, serious negative clinical reports: delays in responding to urgent needs, medication errors (including a near-overdose and wrong-medication events), a reported stage III bedsore, and accounts of delayed or inadequate transfers to the hospital. These safety-related complaints are among the most consequential issues raised and suggest inconsistent clinical oversight or breakdowns in urgent-care protocols for some residents.

    Staffing, professionalism, and communication: Many reviewers praise individual staff members and teams as hardworking, kind, and professional; CNAs and nurses are often described as supportive, and reception/admissions staff receive commendation for being welcoming and helpful. Several reviews also praise Spanish-speaking staff and express gratitude for humane treatment in Spanish. However, an important counterpoint is the frequency of reports about rude, unprofessional, or dismissive behavior — some reviewers describe staff who are pleasant to visitors but inattentive to residents, and others report belongings mishandled or rooms given away. Communication is another mixed area: some families experienced clear, knowledgeable guidance from management and felt questions were answered; others described communication gaps, unresponsiveness to calls, and administrative lapses. This inconsistency suggests variability in staff behavior and managerial follow-through across shifts or time periods.

    Facility condition, cleanliness, and dining: Reviews about the physical plant are split. Multiple reviewers describe clean, modernized sections, comfortable beds, attractive décor, and a pleasant outdoor lawn area; others report a worn-down facility with persistent foul odors, dirty common areas, and old beds. Dining receives generally favorable mentions — food, fruit, soup, and coffee are specifically praised, and the presence of a dietician is noted positively. Several reviewers describe the homemade appearance of meals and satisfaction with dining options. The contrast between reports of cleanliness and odor problems further supports a picture of uneven conditions across the facility.

    Safety concerns and allegations: Several reviews raise grave safety and quality-of-care concerns: unattended residents, prolonged exposure to soiled clothing, alleged abuse or inhumane treatment, and serious medication mistakes. At least one reviewer reported a stage III pressure ulcer and another described near-fatal medication mistakes prompting emergency care and police involvement. Multiple reviewers urged investigations or closure of the facility. These allegations are serious and recurrent enough in the review set to warrant careful verification through current inspection reports, state surveys, and follow-up with facility leadership before making placement decisions.

    Management and trend notes: Some reviews indicate a positive trajectory — mentions of new administration, improvements in staff, and clear management engagement are present. Several families explicitly thank management or say the place is improving. Still, other reviewers characterize management as unresponsive or ineffective in addressing incidents. The divergent comments suggest either recent changes in leadership or uneven implementation of policies that have not yet produced consistent, facility-wide improvements.

    Recommendation and caution for families: The reviews collectively indicate that El Centro Post-Acute can provide strong rehabilitative care, compassionate staff, and good meals for many residents, but there are nontrivial and recurring reports of neglect, medication errors, and cleanliness/safety problems. Because of this variability, families should perform targeted due diligence before placement: tour multiple units at different times of day, ask about staffing ratios and shift changes, request recent state inspection/survey reports and complaint resolutions, inquire about medication administration safeguards and emergency-transfer protocols, review wound-care and pressure-ulcer prevention policies, and get references from recent families. If possible, confirm whether the positive reports of new management and improvements are sustained. Given the severity of some negative claims, verifying current conditions and protocols is essential.

    Bottom line: El Centro Post-Acute shows strengths in therapies, many compassionate staff members, and appreciated dining and décor for some residents, but the facility also has multiple, significant negative reports — including safety incidents and neglect — that create an inconsistent overall picture. Prospective residents and families should balance the positive experiences against the serious concerns, validate recent improvements through documentation and visits, and monitor care closely if choosing this facility.

    Location

    Map showing location of El Centro Post-Acute

    About El Centro Post-Acute

    El Centro Post-Acute is a skilled nursing community with 123 beds that serves seniors who need ongoing healthcare or short-term rehabilitation after a hospital stay, and there's a dedicated team including registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, restorative nursing assistants, and licensed therapists who work around the clock to help people recover from surgery, injuries, illness, or manage daily care for chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiac issues, stroke, wounds, or orthopedic problems, and they've got physical, occupational, and speech therapies, plus special rehab programs for balance, falls, neurologic conditions like MS or Parkinson's, and even things like lipidemia therapy and orthopedic rehab. The facility offers care plans designed for each resident, covering pain and medication management, wound care, catheter or ostomy care, and nutrition programs developed by an on-site licensed dietician working with the culinary crew to provide specialized meal planning, and the staff strives to keep everyone comfortable with daily housekeeping, laundry, and Wi-Fi access for residents who want to stay engaged online, and there are semi-private rehab suites along with spacious common areas where people can spend time when they're not doing therapy or enjoying the therapeutic activities set up for physical, emotional, and social support. The health team operates under Scott Kirby since March 2021, and while the facility offers a wide range of services, like emergency call systems in every room and 24-hour nursing care, there have been state inspection reports showing deficiencies, including how pain management's handled, safe disposal of garbage and refuse, and specific quality of life and dietary issues like those noted under Quality of Life and Care Deficiency F0697 and Nutrition and Dietary Deficiency F0814, so those things are worth noting if you're deciding where to get post-acute or long-term skilled nursing care, especially with current nurse staffing at 3.38 hours per resident per day, which sits below the state average, and a nurse turnover of 46.8%, higher than the usual average in California. The community is part of Bayshire Senior Communities and is owned by Bayshire LLC, licensed under number #374603618, and supports both health and emotional needs with its programs, but when thinking about the care environment, it's important to recognize both the strengths in services and some of the cited areas where improvement's needed. The official website for El Centro Post-Acute is ecpostacute.com.

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