Wauneta · 69045
Wauneta Care and Therapy Center
427 Legion Street
Wauneta, NE 69045
Sarah Ann Hester Memorial Home
⌖ Benkelman, NE · Dundy County
No photos yet
Medicare overall rating 2 of 5 stars
Certified beds56
Medicare / MedicaidMedicare & Medicaid
OwnershipNon-profit (corporation)
About Sarah Ann Hester Memorial Home
Sarah Ann Hester Memorial Home is a 56-bed nonprofit nursing home in Benkelman, NE. Medicare rates it 2 out of 5 stars overall (below average); the average in Nebraska is 2.8. At its last full inspection (Apr 2026), inspectors found 5 problems, fewer than the Nebraska average of 7.4. None of the problems in its recent inspections were found to have harmed residents. Nurses and aides spend about 4 hr 12 min a day with each resident, about the same as the Nebraska average of 3 hr 59 min. About 54% of its nursing staff left in the past year. It has had no federal fines in the last three years.
Written from Medicare’s published figures; nothing here is paid for or written by the home. Our methodology
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Key details
Facility nameSarah Ann Hester Memorial Home
LocationDundy County, Nebraska
Phone(308) 423-2179
Address407 Dakota Street, Benkelman, NE 69021 · Dundy County
CMS provider number285241
Ownership typeNon-profit (corporation)
Official inspection reportsRead them on Medicare.gov ↗
Medicare enrolled sinceNovember 1, 2001 (24 years)
✓ Medicare✓ Medicaid
Certified for Medicaid; ask whether a Medicaid bed is available.
Quality & inspections
Explore this facility's official CMS inspection history, staffing levels and quality measures below — sourced directly from Medicare's public records.
Ratings and inspection data on this page come directly from CMS's public records and are never altered for any paid listing. Medicare data as of September 2026.
What Medicare found
3 strengths and 1 thing to ask about in Medicare's inspection, fine and staffing records for this home. 2 care-quality measures are worse than the state average in the rehab and long-term care section below.
Strengths
- Serious health citationsNone on recordNo citations for actual harm or immediate jeopardy since Apr 2026.Strength
- Fines and penaltiesNoneNo federal fines or payment denials in the last three years.Strength
- Health citations at last inspection5 (Apr 2026)Nebraska average: 7.4. Most citations are minor and corrected within weeks.Strength
About average
- Nurse staffing per resident4 hr 12 min a dayNebraska average: 3 hr 59 minAbout average
- Nursing staff turnover54% a yearNebraska average: 49%About average
Things to ask about
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- Registered nurse time per resident29 min a dayNebraska average: 40 minWorse than state average
Source: Medicare (CMS) inspection, penalty and staffing records, compared with the Nebraska average. Problems may have been corrected since; ask the home about anything listed here. How we choose these
Short-term rehab or long-term care?
Medicare rates these separately, and many homes are better at one than the other.
Long-term care
For residents who live at the home for months or years.
- Falls with a major injury11.9%State average: 4.5%Worse than average
- Pressure sores (bedsores)2.9%State average: 4.0%Better than average
- Given antipsychotic drugs22.1%State average: 20.7%About average
- Hospital stays per 1,000 resident days3.7State average: 1.8Worse than average
Source: Medicare (CMS) quality measures, compared with the Nebraska average. Lower is better for every rate shown.
Who pays, and how full it is
Most residents here have their care paid by Medicaid. In Nebraska, Medicaid pays for 50% of resident days at a typical home.
- 65% Medicaid
- 4% Medicare
- 32% Private pay, insurance and other
Beds in use, on average55%Nebraska typical: 72%
Cost of care per resident day$330Nebraska typical: $347
Shares of resident days, from the home’s Medicare cost report for the year ending June 2025. The cost per day is what care costs the home to provide, not the price you would pay; ask the home for its private-pay rate. A busy home may have fewer open beds, so ask about availability.
Ratings over time
Its overall Medicare rating is 2 stars now, down from 3 stars in January 2019. It has ranged from 1 to 4 stars and changed 13 times.
Overall rating2★
Health inspections3★
Staffing4★
Quality of care1★
Nurse hours per resident per day4.2
20192020202120222023202420252026
Show the values by year
| Month | Overall | Inspections | Staffing | Quality | Nurse hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2019 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3.6 |
| Jan 2020 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4.0 |
| Jan 2021 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4.9 |
| Jan 2022 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4.4 |
| Jan 2023 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4.4 |
| Jan 2024 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4.3 |
| Feb 2025 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4.3 |
| Feb 2026 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4.4 |
| Sep 2026 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4.2 |
Source: Medicare (CMS) monthly Care Compare releases since 2019. Medicare has changed how some ratings are calculated over the years and paused most inspections in 2020, so some jumps reflect rule changes rather than changes at the home. Our methodology
See the full inspection reportEvery citation, fine, staffing figure and quality measure Medicare publishes for this home
From Medicare’s September 2026 data. Each inspection is dated below; staffing comes from payroll records for a recent quarter, and resident outcomes cover the latest period Medicare reports.
Inspection summary
How this facility compares to state and national averages on CMS-reported problems.
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Three-survey history
Citation counts across this facility's three most recent inspection cycles, so you can see whether problems are trending up, down, or holding steady.
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