St. Thomas Post-Acute and Rehabilitation Center

    801 E 16th St, Berwick, PA, 18603
    4.3 · 11 reviews
    • Assisted living
    • Memory care
    • Skilled nursing
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    3.0

    Good care but safety concerns

    I saw real strengths-friendly, compassionate staff, a great therapy team, solid medical supervision for diabetes/heart issues, helpful admissions/business office and hospice nurses, and my loved one made noticeable progress. Rooms, meals, personal hygiene and language support were generally well managed and there were some social activities (Spanish TV helped), though COVID limited group events. But I also experienced serious problems: staff sometimes ignored family, call bells went unanswered, unopened drinks sat by beds, cleaning/maintenance felt inadequate, and communication and updates were inconsistent. Given citation concerns and limited dementia training, new ownership has been responsive but I ultimately felt unsafe and chose to relocate. Overall: good clinical care and staff kindness, but troubling safety, communication and cleanliness issues.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    4.27 · 11 reviews

    Overall rating

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

      3.6
    • Staff

      3.4
    • Meals

      4.0
    • Amenities

      4.0
    • Value

      4.3

    Pros

    • Great admissions and business office
    • Hospice nurses praised as awesome
    • Helpful and reassuring staff
    • Perception of a safe environment
    • Good medical supervision
    • Competent diabetes and heart care
    • Language support (Spanish TV channel available)
    • Meals and personal hygiene reportedly well managed
    • Clean rooms reported by some reviewers
    • Social activities available
    • Responsive, compassionate management willing to address needs
    • Friendly, easy-to-work-with staff
    • Strong therapy team and good therapy outcomes
    • Reports of tremendous progress under new ownership
    • Overall statements of great care by some reviewers

    Cons

    • Staff ignored family members on some occasions
    • No staff present at the front desk at times
    • Lack of updates and families not kept informed
    • Hospice communication limited to once daily for some families
    • Call bell left unattended
    • Meal items left unopened at bedside with no way to drink
    • Cleaning staff only superficially touched some items
    • Perceived lack of cleanliness and maintenance
    • Not trained or equipped for dementia care
    • Abuse and neglect citations reported
    • Poor care quality reported by some reviewers
    • Misrepresentation of services on the facility website
    • Safety concerns raised by multiple reviewers
    • Strong statements that relocation was necessary (worst facility)
    • COVID restrictions limited group activities

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment across the reviews is mixed, with distinct positive experiences described by many families and equally strong negative reports from others. Several reviewers highlight strengths in admissions, administrative responsiveness, hospice and nursing care, therapy outcomes, and specific clinical areas (diabetes and heart care). At the same time, recurring operational and safety concerns—especially around communication, cleanliness, dementia care capability, and reports of abuse or neglect—appear frequently and are significant drivers of dissatisfaction for a subset of reviewers.

    Care quality and clinical oversight: Multiple reviews praise the facility's medical supervision, diabetes and cardiac care, and therapy team, with some families reporting 'tremendous progress' and 'great therapy.' Hospice nurses were singled out positively. However, other reviewers reported poor care quality, safety concerns, and even citations for abuse and neglect. This suggests a wide variance in perceived clinical care quality — some patients receive effective, attentive clinical services while others experienced lapses serious enough to prompt calls for relocation.

    Staff behavior and communication: Staff behavior is described in both positive and negative terms. Several reviewers called staff helpful, friendly, compassionate, and willing to address family concerns; management was described as responsive and easy to work with in those instances. Conversely, there are multiple reports of staff ignoring family members, lack of staff at the desk, inadequate updates to families, and hospice communication limited to once per day. Operational lapses such as call bells left unanswered further fuel concerns about responsiveness and day-to-day attention to patients. These mixed accounts point to inconsistent staff performance or variability by shift/unit.

    Facilities, cleanliness, and safety: Cleanliness and maintenance emerge as a contested area. Some reviews note clean rooms and acceptable personal hygiene care, while others describe superficial cleaning (cleaning staff 'only touched some items'), unopened drinks left at bedside, and an overall perception of inadequate cleanliness and maintenance. More alarmingly, reviewers mentioned abuse and neglect citations and explicit statements that the facility posed safety concerns. These serious allegations contrast with other accounts of a safe environment, indicating uneven standards or improvements that may not be consistent across the facility.

    Dining, personal care, and practical issues: Several reviewers reported that meals and personal hygiene were well managed, and language support (including a Spanish TV channel) was available. Yet there are specific practical complaints: juices left unopened without a way for patients to drink, and call bells not being answered. Such details highlight gaps between policy or intention and execution at the bedside. These seemingly small issues can have outsized impact on family trust and perceived quality of daily care.

    Activities and social programming: Social activities are available and some families noted positive opportunities, but COVID-related restrictions reduced group activities for some residents. There is clear desire from families for more group activities moving forward. Availability of Spanish-language options (TV channel) is a positive for residents who prefer Spanish, but broader activity programming may need enhancement, particularly as COVID limits lift.

    Management, ownership, and variability over time: A number of reviews praise management for being responsive and compassionate, and several mention new ownership with notable improvements ('amazing facility,' 'tremendous progress'). At the same time, other reviews accuse the facility of misrepresenting services on its website and describe ongoing serious issues. This pattern suggests either recent improvements under new ownership that have not yet fully resolved legacy problems, or inconsistency across units/shifts. Prospective families should be aware of this mixed history and seek current, specific evidence of sustained improvements.

    Patterns and implications: The reviews collectively paint a picture of a facility with real strengths—particularly in admissions/administration, some clinical areas, hospice nursing, and therapy—but also important and sometimes severe weaknesses in communication, consistent bedside care, cleanliness/maintenance, and dementia-specific training. The presence of abuse/neglect citations and reports that families felt the need to relocate are red flags that require attention. At the same time, positive reports about new ownership and specific staff members indicate potential for meaningful improvement.

    For anyone evaluating this facility, it would be prudent to verify the current status of cited deficiencies, ask about staffing levels and training (especially for dementia care), observe cleanliness during a tour, request specifics on communication protocols with families and hospice, and confirm activity programming and infection-control practices post-COVID restrictions. Given the variability in experiences, on-site observation and direct conversations with current families and unit managers will give the most reliable sense of whether the facility’s strengths are consistently delivered and the cited problems have been addressed.

    Location

    Map showing location of St. Thomas Post-Acute and Rehabilitation Center

    About St. Thomas Post-Acute and Rehabilitation Center

    St. Thomas Post-Acute and Rehabilitation Center sits in Bloomsburg as a 240-bed facility that covers many needs for seniors, especially those recovering after an illness, injury, or surgery, and there's a big focus on post-acute care and rehabilitation here, shown right in its name. The place has a newly renovated gym, outdoor patio, fireplace lounge, big dining room, and rooms that range from studio and semi-private to companion layouts, so folks can choose what's best for them, whether they want space to themselves or to share with others. There's a gym with equipment for building strength, walking, and daily movement as well as therapy rooms for physical, occupational, and speech therapies, plus the Spark Rehab Program and Optimum Life® approach focus attention on each resident's needs so residents can work toward getting back as much independence as possible. St. Thomas offers both short-term and long-term nursing care, with an on-site skilled nursing team and transitional care units that use a 1 to 5 star grading system to measure care levels for different recovery needs, and there's 24-hour nursing help. Memory care gets special attention here too, with secure settings and memory-enhancing activities for people with Alzheimer's or other types of dementia, and the staff runs therapies to help lessen confusion and prevent wandering, and there's always someone to help out if needed. Assisted living is available for those who want help with daily things like meals, taking medicine, and bathing, but still value their own space. Residents have pet-friendly spaces, strong Wi-Fi, and activities to stay engaged and part of a community, so it helps folks stay connected and active, and hospice and respite care are available for those needing extra support. The rooms and shared spaces are set up to be safe, comfortable, and feel familiar, with options for those who only want to stay for transitional care after a hospital visit or those looking for a longer term plan. Scores for St. Thomas tend toward the higher end in the area, with an 8.7 out of 10 from people who've lived here or stayed after surgery, and the Nursing Home services earned a 3 star rating from Medicare & Medicaid. Staff members aim for a gentle, resident-centered approach known as Rapid Recovery, communicating with primary doctors and families to make recovery smoother. Berwick Retirement Village is connected to this center, so there are links to other retirement living options. All in all, St. Thomas tries to put comfort, recovery, and respect at the center, giving seniors clear rehab services and routine care in a roomy setting with choices and a team used to helping folks regain their strength and independence at their own pace.

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