SKOKIE, IL (March 18, 2013) – Nursing facilities at seven Covenant Retirement Communities received a five-star rating – the highest possible – in U.S. News & World Report’s fifth annual “Best Nursing Homes” report.

Three of the communities are in Illinois: Covenant Village of Northbrook in Northbrook; The Holmstad in Batavia; and Windsor Park in Carol Stream. Two are in California: The Samarkand in Santa Barbara, and Mount Miguel Covenant Village in Spring Valley. The remaining two are Covenant Village of Cromwell in Cromwell, Connecticut, and Covenant Shores in Mercer Island, Washington.

Click here to access the full report.

Of the nearly 16,000 nursing homes nationwide, only 3,036 received an overall five-star rating from the Federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The goal of the rating system is to help consumers identify nursing facilities that demonstrate a strong track record of quality care.

“In this era of health care reform, when there’s so much attention on efficiency and cutting costs, we have to balance those demands with our fundamental purpose,” says Elizabeth Malzahn, Covenant Retirement Communities national director of health care. “At Covenant Retirement Communities, our primary objective is always quality, responsive care. This (five-star) achievement demonstrates the individual communities’ dedication to that goal. It also reflects our corporate commitment to quality at every level of our organization.”

The rating system draws on CMS data in three categories – health inspections, level of nurse staffing, and quality of care – and gives each an overall rating. U.S. News awarded the “Best Nursing Home” designation to homes that earned an overall rating of five stars from CMS in January 2013.

“Fewer than one out of every five nursing homes got an overall rating of five stars,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News health rankings editor. “All seniors deserve the best nursing care available, and these are homes that merit their consideration by demonstrating such high quality.”

Skokie-based Covenant Retirement Communities Inc. is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit senior services providers. It operates 14 retirement communities nationwide and is a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Click here for more information.