Overview of Fairhaven Healthcare Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Fairhaven Healthcare Center sits in Lowell’s Pawtucketville neighborhood, a 169-bed nonprofit skilled nursing home founded in 1984 and now led by Michael Takesian. The facility hosts 125 current residents, the majority on Medicaid (59.2%), with meaningful private-pay (38.4%) and scant Medicare (2.4%) populations. Average stays stretch to 172 days, yet occupancy has fallen to 61.4%, nearly a quarter below state averages and ranking 82nd of 92 Massachusetts facilities.
The facility’s 2-star CMS rating lands 37.7% below state performance, driven primarily by quality measure deficits running 39.2% worse than state baselines. Nursing hours average 4 hours 14 minutes daily per resident, marginally below the 4-hour 18-minute state average but the facility’s single below-average metric.
Payroll investment stands at 56.6% of revenue, which is a healthy position within the 54–65% range typical of well-managed operations and with minimal agency dependence at 8.8% contractor hours.
Six inspections across three years (above-average frequency) identified 41 citations and ranked 67th of 89 facilities. Of critical importance: zero critical citations emerged (100% better than state baseline), and only one serious citation (33% better than state norm). Deficiency clusters centered on Quality of Life & Care (41%), Resident Rights (15%), and Pharmacy Services (12%).
The facility’s single federal penalty of $15K issued November 2023 fell 79% below the Massachusetts average, suggesting enforcement action concentrated on lower-severity violations.
Weight loss at 9.1% tracks 75% above state rates. Antipsychotic use reaches 29.9%, 48% worse than state average. Walking ability decline and functional decline both exceed state norms by 18–32%.
Conversely, depressive symptoms remain exceptionally managed at 3.9% (63% better than state), and short-stay antipsychotic new-use hits zero; 100% above state performance. Fall injury rates improved 11% above baseline.
Financial trajectory reversed sharply after a $398K 2022 loss; the facility posted $605K net income in 2023. Yet occupancy collapsed from 73.1% to 61.4%.
Fairhaven Healthcare combines nonprofit governance with strengthened finances but carries persistent quality gaps in nutritional management and functional preservation unsuitable for residents with high dependency needs.
