Northwoods Lodge named best nursing home

Silverdale is home to the No. 1 nursing home in Washington state.

Silverdale facility ranked highest out of 238 skilled nursing facilities.

Silverdale is home to the No. 1 nursing home in Washington state.

Northwoods Lodge on Schold Place in Silverdale was recently named the best nursing home out of 238 currently licensed skilled nursing facilities in the state, according to the CareScout Nursing Home Professional Report.

Northwoods Lodge Executive Director Melissa Halverson said she and the staff were thrilled to learn they were named the best nursing home in Washington state.

“It was nice to get a positive,” she said.

Halverson said Northwoods Lodge received CareScout’s best rating, AAA, numerous times in the past, but this is the first time they have been No. 1 in the state.

Certified facilities must undergo regular, unannounced inspection surveys that follow procedures enforced by the Department of Health and Human Services to assess a facility’s compliance with laws and regulations.

Halverson said Northwoods Lodge received perfect scores on nine out of the past 11 surveys.

“That is pretty remarkable,” she said.

Halverson said the Northwoods Lodge staff receives all the credit for the No. 1 rating. The CareScout team spends a week at nursing homes monitoring the facilities and staff and Halverson said the Northwoods Lodge staff really shine during the surveys.

“They do the work all year long and they shine during the survey,” she said. “It’s sort of like taking finals. If you don’t study all semester, you flunk your finals.”

Northwoods Lodge, a part of Encore Communities, is a 24-hour skilled nursing and rehabilitation center. The majority of Northwoods Lodge patients are discharged after a short rehabilitation stay or may move to one of Encore’s assisted living communities or retirement living spaces.

“We’re only short-term rehab,” Halverson said. “Our goal is to always get them back to their prior level.”

Northwoods Lodge currently has 47 patients, which is capacity for the facility.

“We usually run around 95 percent capacity,” she said.

Halverson said Northwoods Lodge plans to keep its No. 1 state rating for years to come.