Mount Vernon Healthcare Center

It is certified for 130 beds and has about 125 residents on a typical day, so it is a mid-sized home that usually runs close to full. Ask how residents are grouped into units, who would be on your family member's care team, and whether there is a wait list for the kind of care you need.

Federal regulators have flagged Mount Vernon as a candidate for a program that watches homes with a pattern of inspection problems more closely. Paired with 1-star health inspections and 63 deficiencies in the record, this is a serious signal. Ask the administrator what led to it, what has changed, and whether the home is currently under any heightened monitoring or corrective plan.

The home is rated 2 out of 5 stars overall, with health inspections at 1 star and 63 deficiencies. It carries an abuse-warning icon, meaning inspectors cited it for abuse or a risk of abuse. On the other side, there are no fines on record, staffing is 3 stars, and quality measures are 5 stars. These ratings come from government inspections and reporting, not family reviews, so use them to guide the questions you ask.

Ask directly what led to the abuse citation, when it happened, what has changed since, and how the home protects residents and handles complaints now. Ask to see the most recent inspection report and the plan of correction for the 63 cited deficiencies. How openly staff answer tells you a lot about the home's culture.

Its website lists physical, occupational, and speech therapy, memory care for people with Alzheimer's or dementia, hospice and respite care, wound care handled by dedicated physicians, and cardiac care. It also describes substance-use treatment and post-surgical programs. Unlike its sister home in Annandale, this building's page does not list on-site dialysis, so ask how dialysis and any specialty needs would be handled.

It is run as a for-profit corporation and is part of the CommuniCare group, a chain of about 121 facilities across six states, including Annandale Healthcare Center in nearby Annandale. Its admissions page describes 24-hour admissions, government certification, and private-pay options, but no specific managed-care or veterans' contracts, so ask whether your plan is accepted. Reach the home at 703-360-4000, listed next to the Tiswell Drive address.