Arbor Ridge Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Wayne has landed on Newsweek's 2027 list of America's Best Nursing Homes for the third consecutive year, and the milestone brought Congresswoman Nellie Pou to the 261 Terhune Drive campus for a tour and conversation about senior-care priorities. The visit also included representatives from AHCA/NCAL and HCANJ, two of the industry's leading advocacy organizations.
According to TAPinto, Arbor Ridge provides post-hospital care, short-term rehabilitation and long-term residential care, and it has earned an AHCA/NCAL Bronze Commitment to Quality Award along with an American Heart Association Heart Failure Certified Skilled Nursing Center designation — a distinction that, per the same report, fewer than 1% of skilled nursing centers nationwide hold. Erin Studt, regional director of network development at Marquis Health Consulting Services, which supports the facility, said the visit and conversations with policymakers about care needs make a difference. “The talented Arbor Ridge team is dedicated to providing quality care and services to their residents – and it shows,” Studt said, adding that the staff deserves the recognition after three consecutive Newsweek nods.
A $3 Million Overhaul, With More On the Way
The campus tour comes against the backdrop of a major physical transformation. Arbor Ridge completed Phase 1 of a $3 million modernization in 2022, an upgrade marked with a formal ribbon-cutting led by Wayne Mayor Christopher Vergano, according to ROI-NJ. That outlet described Arbor Ridge at the time as a 120-bed skilled-nursing facility carrying a four-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; TAPinto separately reports that Arbor Ridge maintains a five-star CMS Quality Measures rating.
Ongoing plans call for a building expansion featuring a new 3,000-square-foot therapy gym and an activities-of-daily-living suite, the same ROI-NJ report states, along with the addition of 30 new private rooms. TAPinto's account frames this broader effort as a multi-million-dollar renovation and building expansion still underway at the facility.
Specialized Care and a Korean Cultural Program
Beyond the construction, Arbor Ridge has built out specialized clinical offerings. The facility offers RespiraCare pulmonary rehab and CardioPro cardiac care in partnership with regional healthcare providers, per TAPinto, while Senior Living News separately reported that offerings include pulmonary care, cardiac care and physiatry services. Arbor Ridge also maintains a dedicated Korean cultural program featuring Korean-language caregivers and medical professionals, traditional décor, ethnic cuisine and cultural activities, according to that outlet's reporting.
Marquis Health Consulting Services, which backs Arbor Ridge, describes its broader philosophy as “Care, Anew” and provides administrative consulting services to skilled nursing facilities and senior living communities along the eastern seaboard, per TAPinto. Facilities serviced by Marquis have access to clinician-led specialty care models, signature services and comfort features, the outlet reports.
How the Newsweek Ranking Works
Arbor Ridge placed No. 3 among medium-sized facilities on Newsweek's 2027 New Jersey list, which includes 65 facilities statewide — five small, 10 medium-sized and 50 large homes — according to NJBIZ. Nationally, Newsweek reviewed 14,693 nursing homes and included 1,325 on its list, produced in partnership with Statista, with facilities evaluated on performance data, peer recommendations, accreditations and resident satisfaction gathered over the preceding 12 months.
The recognition lands as New Jersey's senior population continues to grow rapidly. NJBIZ reports that the share of the state's population aged 65 and older rose 33% between 2010 and 2024, and more than 39,000 New Jersey residents were living in skilled-nursing facilities as of December 2024.
Staffing Pressures Loom Over the Industry
That growth is colliding with a workforce crunch across the sector. In May 2024, fewer than 20% of nursing homes nationwide met staffing minimums under a new federal rule, which was scheduled to be fully phased in by 2029; in New Jersey, 15% met certain staffing requirements that were scheduled to begin taking effect in 2026, according to PhillyVoice. Drawing on staffing levels recorded between October and December 2023, the same analysis found 55% of New Jersey nursing homes meet the minimum standard of registered-nurse care, while just 19% meet the minimum nurse-aide care standard.
Representative Pou's own newsletter has previously noted that one-third of Medicaid spending nationally goes toward long-term care, and that three in five New Jersey nursing-home residents receive their health care through Medicaid, according to her office's newsletter. Against that funding and staffing backdrop, Arbor Ridge's repeat national recognition comes amid its specialized clinical programs and renovated physical plant, even as the industry faces mounting pressure to meet new care standards.
