Mesa Springs Healthcare Center
7171 BUFFALO GAP RD, Abilene, TX, 79606
Federal Quality Data
Official records from CMS Care Compare — reported by the facility and audited by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We present them unmodified. Refreshed March 2026.
CMS Star Ratings
Facility & Staffing
- Ownership
- For profit - Limited Liability company · Chain: The Ensign Group
- Certified beds
- 89 · avg 68 residents/day
- Total nursing staff turnover
- 72.4% — higher than most Texas nursing homesTexas avg: 51.5% · National avg: 46.4% · per CMS Care Compare
- RN turnover
- 62.5% — higher than most Texas nursing homesTexas avg: 50.5% · National avg: 43.6% · per CMS Care Compare
- Administrators who left
- 1 departed — near the Texas averageTexas avg: 0.6 · National avg: 0.5 · per CMS Care Compare
Enforcement & Citations
- Fines (past 3 years)
- 1 fine · $8,190 total
- Infection control citations
- 6
State licensing & capacity
- License number
- 147563
- Service type
- Medicare/medicaid
- Licensed capacity
- 89 beds
- Bed type breakdown
- 25 Medicare-only · 64 Medicaid/Medicare
- Current license effective
- April 1, 2026
- Current license expires
- April 1, 2029
- Initial license date
- May 20, 1998
Texas HHSC licensing registry · as of April 16, 2026
Ownership & operations
- Licensee
- Eastland Memorial Hospital District (HOSPITAL DISTRICT/AUTHORITY)
- Operator / manager
- Forrest Hill Healthcare Llc
- Administrator
- Tara Helenthal
Texas HHSC licensing registry · as of April 16, 2026
Federal ownership record
Chain affiliation
Part of the The Ensign Group chain — 329 facilities across 17 states. Chain-wide average overall rating 3.2 / 5.
Disclosed owners (12 on record)
- Forrest Hill Healthcare, Inc
Adp of The Snf · since 2025
- Stephen c Taylor
Corporate Officer · since 2025
- Eastland Memorial Hospital District
5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest · 100% · since 2017
- Maxey d Mcknight
Managing Control - Governing Body · since 2016
- Ensign Services Inc
Adp of The Snf · since 2015
- Pamela Mcgrew
Managing Control - Governing Body · since 2015
+ 6 additional owners on the federal record.
Source: CMS Provider Enrollment data — SNF Enrollments + All Owners + Chain Performance Measures, as of April 2026.
Federal inspection record
Recent health-deficiency citations (most recent 8 of 25)
- D0607·Jun 6, 2025Complaint
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies
Develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent abuse, neglect, and theft.
- D0585·Jun 6, 2025Complaint
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Honor the resident's right to voice grievances without discrimination or reprisal and the facility must establish a grievance policy and make prompt efforts to resolve grievances.
- E0880·Jan 16, 2025Complaint
Infection Control Deficiencies
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
- E0813·Jan 16, 2025Complaint
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies
Have a policy regarding use and storage of foods brought to residents by family and other visitors.
- E0812·Jan 16, 2025Complaint
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
- E0770·Jan 16, 2025Complaint
Administration Deficiencies
Provide timely, quality laboratory services/tests to meet the needs of residents.
- D0761·Jan 16, 2025Complaint
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies
Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.
- E0755·Jan 16, 2025Complaint
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies
Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.
Federal penalties
By year
- 20231 fine · $8,190
Most recent events
- Oct 12, 2023Fine · $8,190
Fire-safety citations
8 Life-Safety-Code citations on file. Most recent: Jan 16, 2025. Fire-safety inspections cover building-level Life Safety Code compliance, separate from the resident-care health survey.
Source: CMS Provider Data Catalog — Health Deficiencies, Fire Safety Deficiencies, and Penalties datasets, snapshot Mar 1, 2026.
About this community
Mesa Springs Healthcare Center is an 89-bed nursing home in Abilene, Texas, accepting Medicare and Medicaid, managed by Forrest Hill Healthcare LLC under a hospital district license. CMS rates it 2 stars overall. Staffing is rated 1 star — the lowest tier — with each resident receiving about 210 minutes of nursing care per day. Roughly 7 in 10 nursing staff left in the past year, well above the Texas median of 5 in 10.
Written from CMS Care Compare and state licensing records · last updated April 19, 2026
What the data says
CMS rates staffing here 1 star — the bottom tier, shared by about 38% of Texas nursing homes. Each resident receives roughly 210 minutes of nursing care per day, about 31 minutes less than at a 4-star-staffing facility in Texas. Residents here tend to need more hands-on care than at a typical facility — more dependent or in poorer health on average — so those 210 minutes stretch thinner than the number alone suggests.
Roughly 7 in 10 nursing staff left in the past year — a turnover rate above the 75th percentile for Texas, where the median is 5 in 10. A long-stay resident will likely go through two or three primary caregivers over the course of a year.
One administrator has left in the past year. A single departure in twelve months sits above the baseline, which flags some organizational flux, though it does not reach the two-or-more threshold that signals acute instability.
One CMS fine totaling $8,190 has been issued. The $8,190 figure sits below the Texas median fine of $20,699 among facilities that have received fines.
Written from CMS Care Compare and state licensing records · last updated April 19, 2026
Questions to ask when you tour
Staffing levels on nights and weekends
Weekend nursing hours here average about 179 minutes per resident per day — ask how many nurses and aides are on the floor during overnight and weekend shifts specifically.
Why turnover is so high
Seven in 10 nursing staff left in the past year; ask what the facility has changed to slow that rate and how long the current direct-care team has been in place.
Recent administrator transition
One administrator left in the past year — ask who is currently responsible for day-to-day operations and how long they have been in that role.
How care plans are reviewed
CMS quality measures rate 3 stars overall despite a 1-star staffing score — ask how often care plans are updated and who leads those reviews when staffing is limited.
Resident Council participation
The facility has a Resident Council but no Family Council — ask how family members raise concerns or receive updates outside of scheduled care-plan meetings.
Forrest Hill Healthcare's role on-site
The facility is licensed to a hospital district but managed by Forrest Hill Healthcare LLC — ask which entity sets staffing policy and handles day-to-day regulatory compliance.
Where this information comes from
- License, capacity, ownership, administrator: Texas HHSC licensing registry, snapshot as of April 16, 2026.
- Star ratings, staffing, fines, deficiencies: CMS Care Compare, processed March 1, 2026.
- Summary, insights, and tour questions: Written from the state licensing and CMS records above, last updated April 19, 2026.
Read our methodology for how this information is collected and verified.