ELK Crossing ranked as Stephens County’s largest nursing home in Q1

ELK Crossing ranked as the largest nursing home in Stephens County for the first quarter of 2026, data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shows.

The facility offered 120 beds, surpassing the Stephens County average by 27 beds during that quarter. On average, ELK Crossing served 96.6 residents throughout the period.

The CMS awarded ELK Crossing an overall 5-star rating, outpacing the 2.7 average recorded among nursing homes statewide in Oklahoma.

Wilkins Health & Rehabilitation Community followed as the second-largest nursing home in the county, offering 118 beds. Gregston Nursing Home, Inc. was third, with 96 beds.

ELK Crossing also maintained a record of zero fines or penalties during the first quarter of 2026.

Stephens County included five for-profit nursing homes in total.

U.S. Census Bureau estimates indicate that as the nation’s older population grows, younger age groups are becoming smaller. From 2020 to 2024, the number of Americans aged 65 and older increased by 13%, while the population under 18 declined by 1.7%. Across the past century, the older adult population in the country has expanded significantly, rising from 4.9 million in 1920 to over 61 million by 2024.

A 2021 report estimates that nearly half of Americans in this age bracket—or about 28 million people—will eventually need long-term services and supports. The report also forecasts that more than a third of them may require nursing home care.

“Living a long life is something that many of us want and could get,” said Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, an insurance education group. “But when we live a long life, the chances of us needing long-term care increase exponentially. But when you need that type of care, there are limited options.”

Information in this article was obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The source data can be found here.