Birchwood Health Care Center sits over in Forest Lake, MN, and has 100 certified beds, though usually about 66 residents live there each day, and as of June 2025, 34 beds are set aside for people who need skilled nursing care for serious medical needs. The place serves as a nonprofit and is part of a Continuing Care Retirement Community, so folks can move between different care levels when their needs change, and stay in the same community. Birchwood takes Medicare and Medicaid and has links to the Lifespark network.
Nurses at Birchwood provide care somewhere between 12 to 16 hours each day, with a 24-hour call system to help in case anything comes up, although they've had some trouble keeping enough licensed nursing staff on each shift, have 3.41 nurse hours per resident per day, which is less than the state average, and their nurse turnover sits at 34.3%, which happens to be lower than average for the state. Inspection reports show 36 total deficiencies over time, including issues with pressure ulcer care, not forming a quality assessment group, and some staffing problems, plus three noted infection-related deficiencies. Residents and families can join regularly held councils to talk about problems or suggest improvements.
There's a long list of services available, like medication management, help with bathing, dressing, getting around, meal preparation, diabetes and allergy diets, psychiatric care, rehab, dental, optical, podiatry, and hospice care. Residents can get nutrition counseling, family caregiving support, and guidance for long-term care. Each room comes furnished and has a private bathroom, kitchenette, cable TV, phone, air conditioning, and Wi-Fi.
Daily living at Birchwood offers housecleaning, laundry, dining all day with chef-prepared meals, and move-in help. The center aims to keep life interesting, with indoors and outdoors activities like movie nights, book readings, gardening, music, fitness, arts, cooking, and outings. Amenities include a library, fitness room, spa room, game room, movie theater, gardens, walking paths, outdoor spaces, and activity rooms. Families often visit and join in community events. Ratings on review sites average 2.4 from 19 reviews. Residents are encouraged to keep independence and have some say in their daily schedules, but they also get steady support from staff for whatever's needed, and the community does its best to keep things lively and welcoming, even though some state inspections have pointed out areas to fix.
