Choosing a place for your parents isn't just about the brochures. Honestly, it’s about the smell, the vibe, and whether the night shift actually answers the call lights. If you're looking into Good Samaritan Albert Lea, you’re probably sifting through a mix of high-level CMS ratings and local gossip.
Located on the quiet north side of town at 75507 240th Street, this campus—officially known as the Good Samaritan Society – Albert Lea—is a bit of a sprawling beast. It’s not just one building. It’s a full-on continuum of care campus. That sounds like corporate-speak, but basically, it means you can move in when you’re still driving your own car and stay there even if you eventually need full-time nursing support.
The Real Layout of the Campus
You’ve got a few different "neighborhoods" here. Bancroft Creek Estates and Hidden Creek handle the assisted living side of things. People often mix these up, but they offer slightly different vibes and apartment styles. Then there’s the Care Center, which is the heavy-hitter for long-term skilled nursing and inpatient rehab.
Most people don't realize the history here. They’ve been in Freeborn County since 1953. That’s over 70 years of local history. But being an "old" institution is a double-edged sword. You get the stability of a seasoned staff, but you also deal with an older physical plant that they’ve had to remodel several times to keep up with modern standards.
The Elephant in the Room: Ratings and Reality
Let's talk numbers because that's what Google usually spits out. As of 2025 and heading into 2026, the ratings for Good Samaritan Albert Lea are, well, complicated.
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U.S. News & World Report recently flagged them as "High Performing" for long-term care. That’s a big win. However, if you dig into the CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) data from early 2025, you’ll see some bumps in the road. Specifically, a health inspection in April 2025 cited some deficiencies in infection control and food storage.
Is it a dealbreaker?
Maybe not. Every nursing home in Minnesota gets cited for something. The real question is how they fix it. They recently faced a $26,685 fine in February 2025 related to an abuse and neglect report. That sounds terrifying to any family member. In that specific case, the "deficiency" was a failure to protect a resident and a delay in reporting the incident.
Here is the nuance most people miss: When a facility is part of a massive network like Sanford Health (which Good Sam is), they have a massive corporate compliance team that usually swarms these issues to fix them immediately. But for a family, that "J" level severity (immediate jeopardy) on a report is a massive red flag that requires a direct conversation with the administrator, currently Katie Davis, before signing any paperwork.
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What Life Actually Looks Like There
If you ignore the paperwork for a second, the day-to-day life is surprisingly active. They have:
- A Chapel: Because of their Lutheran roots, spiritual life is huge here.
- The Food: Reviews from 2024 and 2025 actually praise the "excellent" food, which is a rare compliment for a nursing home.
- The Setting: It’s basically in the countryside. You’ll see deer and birds rather than city traffic.
The price tag? It’s not cheap, but it’s competitive for Southern Minnesota. You’re looking at a starting point around $4,500 to $4,800 a month for assisted living, while private rooms in the skilled nursing wing can climb north of $6,400. They do accept Medicare and Medicaid, which is a lifesaver for families who have exhausted their private funds.
Why Good Samaritan Albert Lea Still Matters
Despite the hiccups in recent inspections, this place remains a cornerstone of Freeborn County. Why? Because they have staff members who have been there for decades. In an industry where turnover is usually 50% or higher, having "legacy" nurses who knew your grandpa and now know you actually counts for something.
They’ve also invested heavily in rehabilitation. If you’re just there for a "swing bed" stay—basically 20 days of PT after a hip replacement—the rehab wing is generally considered one of the better spots in the region. They have on-site physical, occupational, and speech therapy that isn't outsourced to a third-party contractor.
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Navigating the Choice
If you are considering Good Samaritan Albert Lea, don't just trust the website. You need to show up unannounced.
Seriously. Go on a Tuesday at 6:00 PM.
See if the staff looks stressed. See if the residents are out of their rooms. Check if the "24-hour coffee bar" is actually stocked or just a dusty counter.
Honestly, the biggest challenge they face right now is the same one every rural Minnesota facility faces: staffing. While their turnover rate is technically lower than the state average (roughly 36% vs. 42%), it still means one-third of the faces you see today might be gone next year. That's the reality of modern healthcare.
Practical Next Steps for Families
- Request the Full Survey: Ask the admissions coordinator for the "Statement of Deficiencies" (Form CMS-2567) from the February 2025 and April 2025 inspections. Don't let them summarize it; read the actual notes.
- Verify the Waitlist: Hidden Creek and Bancroft Creek often have waitlists for specific apartment styles. Get your name on it early—it usually doesn't cost anything to stay on the "active" list.
- Check the "Extra" Fees: Ask specifically about laundry and "medication management" fees. These can tack on an extra $500 to $1,000 to the base monthly rate very quickly.
- Meet the Medical Director: If your loved one has complex needs, ask who the attending physician is. They often work closely with the Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, which is only 3.4 miles away.
The decision to move into Good Samaritan Albert Lea shouldn't be made in a vacuum. It’s a trade-off between the peace of a rural campus and the complexities of a large, corporate-owned nursing facility. It isn't perfect, but for many in Freeborn County, it's the closest thing to home when home is no longer an option.