Lutcher – Riverlands Community Care Center, located in Lutcher, has received a high ranking of five stars overall in U.S. News and World Report’s annual Best Nursing Homes. U.S. News’s Best Nursing Homes recognizes top-rated homes in all 50 states and offers important guidance to families and healthcare providers caring for people in need of a nursing home.

“More than 3 million Americans will spend part of 2012 in a nursing home, and trying to decide under pressure which one is best isn’t easy,” said Avery Comarow, health rankings editor. “Top-rated nursing homes are worth considering and deserve special recognition.”

U.S. News’s evaluation of nursing homes is based on data from Nursing Home Compare, a consumer website run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This government agency sets and enforces standards for nursing homes. Homes earn an overall rating of one to five stars, as well as up to five stars in each of three underlying categories: health inspections, nurse staffing and quality of care.

Of more than 15,500 homes rated and profiled on the U.S. News website, Riverlands Community Care Center was among the fewer than one in eight that received a five-star overall rating in all four quarters of 2011.

According to Ronald Albin, Administrator of Riverlands Community Care Center, “We are very honored to have been recognized by U.S. News and World Report. Making a difference in our residents and their families’ lives is the mission of our care team at Riverlands.”