Avantara Watertown: Staffing, Turnover, and Inspection Record
Avantara Watertown is a 51-bed for-profit nursing home in Watertown, South Dakota, part of Legacy Healthcare. In the CMS August 2026 release it reported 2.09 nurse aide hours per resident per day, 17% below the South Dakota average of 2.52, and 44.2% nursing staff turnover (South Dakota average 48.2%).
Avantara Watertown
415 Fourth Ave NeWatertown, SD 57201
Codington County
CMS Care Compare, August 2026 release
Special Focus Facility candidate. CMS lists this home as a candidate for its Special Focus Facility program, which is for nursing homes with a history of serious quality issues.
Cited for abuse or neglect. CMS marks this home with its abuse icon: it was cited for abuse or neglect that caused harm on its most recent inspection cycle, or for abuse or neglect with potential for harm on each of its last two cycles.
How many staff hours residents get
CMS reports staffing as hours per resident per day, from the payroll records each home submits. At Avantara Watertown, nurse aides logged 2.09 hours per resident per day, 17% below the South Dakota average. With about 47 residents a day, that works out to roughly 97 aide hours a day, or about 12 eight-hour aide shifts across day, evening, and night. On weekends, total nursing hours per resident ran 20% below the all-days figure.
| Hours per resident per day | This home | South Dakota avg | US avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse aides (CNAs) | 2.09 | 2.52 | 2.32 |
| Licensed practical nurses | 0.42 | 0.47 | 0.86 |
| Registered nurses | 1.06 | 0.80 | 0.69 |
| All nursing staff | 3.57 | 3.79 | 3.86 |
| All nursing staff, weekends | 2.87 | 3.26 | 3.42 |
CMS Care Compare, August 2026 release: reported staffing hours from Payroll-Based Journal data, and CMS state and US averages.
Staff turnover
44.2% of nursing staff at Avantara Watertown left over the year CMS measured, against a South Dakota average of 48.2% and a US average of 45.8%. Registered nurse turnover was 27.3%. 1 administrator left over the same period.
Inspections and penalties
State inspectors last completed a standard health inspection on Apr 29, 2026. The most recent inspection cycle, which also counts complaint and infection-control inspections from the past 12 months, found 26 health deficiencies (South Dakota average 6.9). CMS lists 1 fine totaling $6,368 in the last three years.
| Inspection date | Penalty | Amount or length |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 6, 2025 | Fine | $6,368 |
CMS Penalties file, August 2026 release. A payment denial stops Medicare and Medicaid payment for new admissions for the days shown.
CMS star ratings
CMS rates every nursing home from one to five stars overall and on health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. Avantara Watertown holds 1 of 5 overall; the South Dakota average is 2.9.
About Avantara Watertown
- Ownership: For profit - Limited Liability company
- Chain: Legacy Healthcare, 89 homes
- Legal name: Watertown SD Skilled Nursing Facility, LLC
- Medicare and Medicaid certified since: Mar 1, 1993
- Councils: resident council
- Area: rural
Nursing homes near Avantara Watertown
The closest homes by distance, with the same CMS figures. Select a column to sort.
| Jenkin's Living Center Watertown | 0.7 | 110 | 2.11 | 3.67 | 54.1% | 3 | $53,086 |
| Estelline Nursing and Care Center Estelline · many days without an RN | 20.9 | 60 | 1.38 | 2.04 | 28.8% | 4 | $16,826 |
| Avantara Lake Norden Lake Norden | 22.9 | 50 | 2.14 | 3.23 | 32.6% | 5 | None |
| Avantara Clark City Clark | 30.9 | 35 | 2.72 | 4.17 | 42.4% | 4 | $11,057 |
| Avantara Milbank Milbank | 31.1 | 55 | 1.85 | 3.23 | 91.5% | 1 | $55,361 |
| St William's Care Center Milbank | 32.0 | 60 | 2.02 | 3.11 | 39.1% | 2 | $132,723 |
| Bethesda Home Webster | 36.6 | 50 | 2.88 | 4.53 | 30.6% | 5 | None |
| Wilmot Care Center Inc Wilmot · SFF candidate | 36.9 | 26 | 2.77 | 4.20 | 60.5% | 1 | $28,028 |
Aide hrs and all nurse hrs are staff hours per resident per day. Fines are the CMS total for the last three years. Turnover is the share of nursing staff who left over a year. All figures from CMS Care Compare.
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Source: CMS Care Compare Provider Information, State and US Averages, and Penalties files, August 2026 release. Figures are as CMS publishes them; check Medicare Care Compare for the latest. Methodology.