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Key information
Shields Nursing Center is a 45-bed nursing home in El Cerrito. Medicare rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall, with 3 for health inspections, 5 for staffing and 3 for quality of care.
It is certified by Medicare and Medi-Cal, and has been since 1989. The nearest hospital, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Alta Bates Camp, which has an emergency room, is 3.8 miles away.
Inspectors have visited 29 times since November 2023, most recently on July 29, 2026. Federal inspectors cited 37 deficiencies in that time, none rated as having harmed a resident (37 potential for harm). Regulators looked into 11 complaints in that time (2 substantiated, 3 partially substantiated, 2 unsubstantiated and 4 without a recorded outcome).
From April to June 2026, each resident received 4.63 hours of nursing care a day on average, 1.09 of them from registered nurses.
Rating and inspection report
Official rating
- Medicare health inspections3/5 · Average
- Medicare quality measures (long stay)4/5 · Above average
- Medicare quality measures3/5 · Average
- Medicare quality measures (short stay)2/5 · Below average
- Medicare staffing5/5 · Much above average
- State inspectionsNo serious citations in 3 years
Care & pricing
Care available
- Licensed capacity
- 45 beds
- State license
- CA 140000276 · Active
Pricing
- Average daily charge (Medicare cost report): $411 per dayNursing home
Payment types accepted
Daily life
Details
Facilities
- Arts room
- Barber /
salon - Furnished
- Garden
- Telephone in room
- Walking paths
- For-profit ownership (corporation)
- State-licensed skilled nursing facility (California CDPH)
Activities
- Movie nights
- Resident run activities
Services
- 24-hour call system
- 24-hour supervision
- Activities of daily living assistance
- Assistance with bathing
- Assistance with dressing
- Assistance with transfers
- Feeding assistance
- Housekeeping
- IV therapy
- Laundry
- Licensed nurse on site 24/
7 - Medication administration by staff
- Medication management and reminders
- Move in coordination
- Non-ambulatory care
- Outside hospice allowed
- Palliative care
- Parkinson's care
- Physical, occupational or speech therapy
- Pressure injury (bed sore) care
- Respite (short) stays
- Special diets (diabetic, renal, pureed)
- Tracheostomy care
- Wound care
Dining
- All day dining
- Allergy sensitive
- Diabetes diet
- Dining room
- Gluten free
- Restaurant style dining
Safety and security
- Automatic sprinklers throughout the building
- Emergency alert system
Policies
- Accepts Medicaid (Medi-Cal)
- Accepts Medicare
Languages spoken on site
- English
Come and see for yourself
The best way to know if a place is the right fit is to experience it in person. Arrange a visit to explore the space, get a feel for daily life there, and ask any questions along the way.
Reviews and listings
What families and listing sites say.
Ratings on other sites
- 3/5
- 2.7/5
Reviews
- Google1/5
Admissions department is extremely rude. Do not recommend. Would not send my worst enemy here.
Read full reviewSep 10, 2025
- Google1/5
Staff was pleasant and caring. The one shining spot was the PT which went smoothly 7 days a week. However, my elderly father was not given one of his key medications for 10 days. This oversight caused him to get sick all over again and go back to the hospital. Furthermore, the staff doctor was inconsistent. We were disappointed when the doctor promised to return the next day and didn't return or call. He didn't return for several days and then only because my father called because he was worsening.
Read full reviewOct 11, 2024
- Google3/5
Just as good as any other shields nursing home.
Read full reviewSep 14, 2018
- Google4/5
Depressing place to be...final pastures
Read full reviewApr 29, 2017
- Google1/5
Rude staff stood at the counter for 10 mins and they Didn't ask if we needed help or anything and when I asked for a pen they whispered in each other's ears as if it was not obviously enough.
Read full reviewMay 7, 2016
- Caring.com2/5
Visited this facility to visit a old neighbor. Not very appealing to the eye. No garden area for residents. Food not as good as other facilities of this nature I have visited. Kind of like a run down motel atmosphere. Food not good. Not recommended.
Read full reviewVisitor
Sep 26, 2012
- Caring.com4/5
My mother, Jan, was admitted late last year to Shields Nursing Center after being discharged from Doctors Medical Center. She, just like anyone else, did not want to go to any nursing facility, because she missed home so much after being in the hospital urgent care for about four months. From her feedback as well as from my personal visits, the staff were very friendly and helpful even though they were very busy doing their best to care for so many people. The food was reasonable. The facility does need more improvement on the lighting in the rooms. The rooms are small, which is not the factor. The rooms have a dark interior which seems to bring gloom to not only the patients but the visitors as well. Knowing the buildings are quite old, I am sure some time the rooms will be brightened up, which will help in brightening up the patients who stay there. I would like to add, that my mother needed to have all her pain meds upon discharge from the center, and even though the full prescribed amounts could not be released, they were so compassionate enough to give her samples and whatever amounts that could be approved right away. Though I was not a patient staying there, I still miss the wonderful staff and my mother would say the same. Rest her soul.
Read full reviewFamily member
Jul 24, 2012
Location
3230 Carlson Boulevard, El Cerrito, CA 94530