Overview of Dutchess Care

Dutchess Care is a 92-bed Adult Home in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, owned by Azzy Reckess Paula Reckess. Nursing services are on-site with licensed nurses, CNAs, and 24-hour staffing. The facility emphasizes skilled caregiving and personalized support for daily activities designed to maintain resident independence. The setting is described as secure and homelike.

Located at Poughkeepsie city center.

Regulatory compliance has deteriorated markedly since late 2023. An October 2024 relicensure survey cited 15 deficiencies concentrated in five areas: admission standards, resident services (three violations), food service (two violations), personnel, environmental standards (five violations), and disaster and emergency planning (two violations). The environmental standards violations span facility maintenance, safety protocols, and other areas.

Resident services violations specifically address supervision gaps, a recurring theme across multiple inspection years. Personnel violations include background check process deficiencies. Food service and environmental standards deficiencies have appeared in prior years as well, suggesting persistent operational challenges.

A July 2024 complaint investigation cited one resident services supervision deficiency. The most recent July 2025 inspection identified one records and reports violation.

Eight complaints total have been filed, representing 8.7 per 100 occupied beds compared to the New York state average of 49.9, indicating a relatively low complaint rate. Over five years, the facility averaged 5 deficiencies annually, roughly 2 percent below the state average. However, this aggregate masks a striking year-to-year pattern: 2023 had zero deficiencies, 2024 had 16, and 2025 had one.

Two enforcement actions with stipulation agreements have been issued. The August 2022 stipulation (ACF-22-043) followed deficiencies in criminal history checks, provider notification responsibilities, resident services, and environmental standards. The March 2025 stipulation (ACF-25-022) followed the October 2024 relicensure survey deficiencies. Stipulations represent formal agreements with the state to correct serious or repeated violations.

Twelve lawsuits have been filed against the facility since 2010, all closed except one. The cases span negligence (Uhlitzsch, Chalk, Parker), tort claims (Franciosa, Cannella, Porter), and medical or professional malpractice (Ginty, Pruitt, and others).

Multiple cases involve estate administrators, suggesting resident death claims. The estate of John H. Pruitt, Jr. filed a medical/professional malpractice case in 2023, and this remains pending with a court appearance scheduled for July 29, 2026. The cumulative litigation and enforcement history over the past seven years indicates systemic compliance and care management challenges unresolved despite stipulation agreements.

Families should request documentation of corrective actions implemented since the March 2025 enforcement action and verify current compliance status.

Bed community size
92-bed community Rank #528 / 748Bed count — State benchmarkedThis home is ranked 528th out of 748 homes in New York. Shows this facility's certified or reported bed count compared to other New York facilities. Larger communities may offer more amenities, programs, and on-site services for residents and families.Rankings are based only on facilities in New York that report data for that category. Facilities without available data are excluded from the ranking.Click the rank badge to see the full State ranking.Click here to see the full State ranking.
A larger shared setting that may offer more common spaces and organized community services.
Walk Score
Walk Score: 90 / 100 Rank #261 / 1173Walk Score — State benchmarkedThis home is ranked 261st out of 1173 homes in New York. Shows how walkable this facility's neighborhood is compared to the average Walk Score across New York facilities. Higher scores benefit residents, families, and staff.Rankings are based only on facilities in New York that report data for that category. Facilities without available data are excluded from the ranking.Click the rank badge to see the full State ranking.Click here to see the full State ranking.
Walker's paradise. Daily errands do not require a car, with many shops and services nearby.

About this community

License Details

Facility TypeAdult Home
StatusActive
CountyDutchess
License Number230-F-044

Ownership & Operating Entity

Owner NameAzzy Reckess Paula Reckess

Staffing & Medical

2 services
Licensed Nurses/CNAs
24-Hour Staffing

Amenities & Lifestyle

Specific ProgramsSkilled Caregiving

Contact Dutchess Care

Inspection History

In New York, the Department of Health, Office of Aging and Long Term Care performs unannounced onsite inspections to monitor compliance with state and federal healthcare regulations.

Inspection Score Info A composite 0–100 score combining this facility's inspections, citations, complaints, and enforcement actions relative to the New York state average. The score below shows how many points this facility sits above or below the typical New York nursing home score (the benchmark); higher is better.This is a proprietary Assisted Living Magazine score.

8 points above the New York average for nursing homes (83/100)

Rank #145 / 593 in New York Inspection Score — State benchmarked This home is ranked 145th out of 593 homes in New York. Shows this facility's inspection score compared to the New York average among 593 comparable communities in the ranking pool. Rankings are based only on facilities in New York that report data for that category. Facilities without available data are excluded from the ranking. This is a proprietary Assisted Living Magazine score. Inspection score: 91 out of 100. Letter grade A-. 8 points above the New York average for nursing homes (83/100)

Inspection Scorecard Info This scorecard compares key inspection, citation, and complaint metrics at this facility against the New York state average. Metrics rated ≥15% worse than average are highlighted in red; those ≥15% better are highlighted in green.

Since 2021 vs. New York state average
Overall vs. NY average 5 Worse Metrics worse than New York average:
• Total citations (92% above)
• Citations per year (92% above)
• Citations per inspection (157% above)
• Inspections with citations (75% above)
• Inspection citation rate (127% above)
5 Better Metrics better than New York average:
• Total inspections (22% below)
• Total complaints (90% below)
• Complaints per year (90% below)
• Complaints per bed (82% below)
• Complaint investigations (100% below)
Latest Inspection July 15, 2025 Other An inspection that falls outside standard annual surveys and formal complaint investigations. May include administrative compliance checks, documentation reviews, focused surveys on specific concerns, or revisit surveys to verify prior corrections.

Citations Info Citations are formal regulatory issues recorded during state inspections.

This FacilityNY Averagevs. NY Avg
Total citations Info Formal regulatory issues recorded by inspectors across all inspection types. 2513 This facility has 92% more total citations than a typical New York nursing home (25 vs. NY avg 13).↑ 92% worse
Citations per year Info Average citations per year since 2021. 52.6 This facility has 92% more citations per year than a typical New York nursing home (5 vs. NY avg 2.6).↑ 92% worse
Citations per inspection Info Average citations per inspection. 3.61.4 This facility has 157% more citations per inspection than a typical New York nursing home (3.6 vs. NY avg 1.4).↑ 157% worse

Inspections Info State inspections evaluate whether the facility meets health and safety standards.

This FacilityNY Averagevs. NY Avg
Total inspections Info Combined count of all routine and focused inspections. Excludes complaint investigations. 79 This facility has 22% fewer total inspections than a typical New York nursing home (7 vs. NY avg 9).↓ 22% better
Inspections with citations Info Inspections that resulted in at least one regulatory citation. 74 This facility has 75% more inspections with citations than a typical New York nursing home (7 vs. NY avg 4).↑ 75% worse
Inspection citation rate Info Percentage of inspections that resulted in at least one citation. 100%44% This facility has 56 percentage points higher inspection citation rate than a typical New York nursing home (100% vs. NY avg 44%).↑ 56% worse

Complaints & Investigations Info Complaints are formal concerns filed by residents, families, or staff. Investigations are on-site follow-ups.

This FacilityNY Averagevs. NY Avg
Total complaints Info Formal expressions of concern made by residents, families, or staff. 879 This facility has 90% fewer total complaints than a typical New York nursing home (8 vs. NY avg 79).↓ 90% better
Complaints per year Info Average complaints per year since 2021. 1.615.8 This facility has 90% fewer complaints per year than a typical New York nursing home (1.6 vs. NY avg 15.8).↓ 90% better
Complaints per bed Info Size-adjusted complaint rate based on occupied beds. 0.090.50 This facility has 82% fewer complaints per bed than a typical New York nursing home (0.09 vs. NY avg 0.5).↓ 82% better
Complaint investigations Info On-site investigations triggered by complaints filed with New York regulators. 015 This facility has 100% fewer complaint investigations than a typical New York nursing home (0 vs. NY avg 15).↓ 100% better

Inspection Reports Summary Info An editor-reviewed summary of the themes and findings across this facility's recent inspection reports.

  • The most recent inspection on July 15, 2025, found one deficiency related to records and reports.
  • The October 11, 2024 relicensure survey cited 15 deficiencies across admission standards, resident services, food service, personnel, environmental standards, and emergency planning.
  • Several inspections since 2021 noted repeated single deficiencies in resident services supervision and records, with no substantiated complaints reported.

Lawsuit overview for Dutchess Care

Summary of court-record activity tied to this facility, compiled from publicly available case dockets.

Source: State court e-filing records

Total Cases Info Every lawsuit on record involving this facility since the earliest filing. Long-term volume signals overall legal exposure. 12
Active Cases Info Lawsuits still moving through the courts. Active claims can affect day-to-day operations, settlement risk, and insurance posture. 0
Closed Info Cases that have been disposed of — dismissed, settled, or decided. Shows how the facility has historically resolved disputes. 12
Since Info Year of the earliest case on record. A long history with steady filings suggests persistent issues; a recent first filing means newer exposure. 2010
Most Recent Info Most recent filing on record. Recent activity means legal disputes are still being raised against this facility. 2023
Next Court Date Info Next scheduled court appearance on record across active cases. Jul 29, 2026

Places of interest near Dutchess Care

Address 0.0 miles from city center Info Estimated distance in miles from Poughkeepsie's city center to Dutchess Care's address, calculated via Google Maps.

Calculate Travel Distance to Dutchess Care

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Address

Compare Assisted Living around Poughkeepsie

The information below is reported by the New York State Department of Health.

The Landing Of Poughkeepsie
AL
MC
RC
Poughkeepsie (City Of Poughkeepsie)
121
Facility 121
NY AVG 160
Rank #408 / 748
No
15
Facility 15
NY AVG 63
Rank #1056 / 1173
Landing Senior Care, LLC-2
50%
Facility 50%
NY AVG 44.4%
Rank #188 / 318
1
Facility 1
NY AVG 14.5
Rank #103 / 318
0.5
Facility 0.5
NY AVG 1.6
Rank #144 / 318
Studio / 1 Bed
Dutchess Care
AL
Poughkeepsie
92
Facility 92
NY AVG 160
Rank #528 / 748
No
90
Facility 90
NY AVG 63
Rank #261 / 1173
-
91
Facility 91
NY AVG 83
Rank #145 / 593
13
0%
Facility 0%
NY AVG 44.4%
Rank #1 / 318
0
Facility 0
NY AVG 14.5
Rank #1 / 318
0
Facility 0
NY AVG 1.6
Rank #1 / 318
-
PAZ Health Care
AL
HC
NH
Poughkeepsie (City Of Poughkeepsie)-No
45
Facility 45
NY AVG 63
Rank #826 / 1173
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Financial Assistance for
Assisted Living in New York

Dutchess Care is located in Poughkeepsie, New York State.
Here are the financial assistance programs available to residents in New York State.

Get Financial aid guidance

Community First Choice Option

NY Medicaid CFCO

Age 65+ or disabled
General New York resident, Medicaid- eligible, care need (not necessarily nursing home level).
Income Limits (2025) ~$2,829/month 300% FBR, individual
Asset Limits $30,182 individual, higher due to NY Medicaid expansion
NY

Higher asset limit; urban density increases demand.

Benefits
Personal care (5-7 hours/day) Respite care (240 hours/year) Home modifications ($1,500 avg.) Assistive technology ($500 avg.)

Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP)

NY EISEP

Age 60+
General New York resident, at risk of decline but not nursing home level.
Income Limits ~$2,500/month individual, varies
Asset Limits $15,000 individual
NY

Cost-sharing required above certain income; urban/rural balance.

Benefits
In-home care (3-5 hours/week) Respite (up to 10 days/year) Case management Transportation (~5 trips/month)

Frequently Asked Questions about Dutchess Care

Who is the owner of Dutchess Care?

Dutchess Care is legally operated by Azzy Reckess Paula Reckess.

Is Dutchess Care in a walkable area?

Dutchess Care has a walk score of 90. Walker's paradise. Daily errands do not require a car, with many shops and services nearby.

What is the license number of Dutchess Care?

According to NY state health department records, Dutchess Care's license number is 230-F-044.

How many beds does Dutchess Care have?

Dutchess Care has 92 beds.

Are there photos of Dutchess Care?

Yes — there are 2 photos of Dutchess Care in the photo gallery on this page.

What is the address of Dutchess Care?

Dutchess Care is located at 186 Washington Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.

What is the phone number of Dutchess Care?

(845) 471-7930 will put you in contact with the team at Dutchess Care.

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