Rafael Convalescent Hospital

Pros

• Ana, the Social Services Director, is amazing and has been a saint to the family.
• Ana goes above and beyond to support families.
• Marin Post Acute is super clean and the rooms are very nice.
• The staff is attentive and always kind.
• Visiting doctors, especially Dr. Brindley, are amazing.
• Stephan, the activity/entertainment coordinator, is cheerful and knows all the long-term patients by name.
• Top-notch physical and rehab services.
• The rooms are comfortable.
• The facility is spotless and its cleanliness is A+.
• The staff, including janitors, nurses, CNAs, the social worker, and the front desk, are top notch.

Cons

• The facility is described as horrible and nasty by reviewers.
• The front desk director is reportedly rarely present, hindering concerns from being addressed.
• The bell system is ineffective, with waits up to 1.5 hours for assistance.
• The meals are generally inedible.
• Some room phones do not work, and the overall phone system is hard to use.
• There is high staff turnover, leading to inconsistent care.
• Some staff are accused of rude or unprofessional behavior; a named case manager is described as rude, unresponsive, and even dishonest.
• There are reports of residents being yelled at and threatened (e.g., a staff member threatening to throw someone out a window).
• Direct answers to questions about quarantine/testing days are hard to obtain, indicating poor communication.
• There are concerns about censorship or removal of information on social media, reducing transparency.

Review

A patchwork of online notes and firsthand accounts paints Marin Post Acute Care as a place that elicits strong feelings, partly because of the way information circulates and partly because of the realities of a high-turnover care environment. Several posts raise a theme about information control and public perception: concerns that older Facebook pages have been purged or altered, and that what appears on a facility's website may only tell part of the story. In the mix of commentary, reviewers note an ongoing tension between transparency and censorship, with mentions that social media presence has shifted and that the public can still voice concerns in some venues even as direct replies from leadership can be hard to obtain. Taken together, these moments underscore how important it is for families to spend significant time on site and to seek a range of viewpoints when evaluating care.

In the 2025 timeframe, a 3.1-star Yelp standing is noted, alongside a strategic display of what appear to be three five-star reviews on the site's front page. The caveat is that the overall rating reflects an average, not just hand-picked accolades, and it's clear that what families see on a homepage may not align with the broader experience. A recurring practical concern is accessibility: a front-desk staffer, Kevan, indicates that the current director isn't consistently available, particularly around mid-afternoon on weekdays. That disconnect - between leadership presence and the day-to-day needs of residents, families, and staff - appears to color perceptions of responsiveness. The writer promises to report back on whether and when inquiries submitted via the site's contact form receive replies, signaling that even basic outreach can be uneven.

In an earlier 2024 update, the facility's social media footprint is described as expanding, but with a silence around certain operational specifics, such as the exact day-by-day status of quarantines in Unit 2 during the 14-day protocols still referenced from older statements. The public-facing notes include complaints and compliments alike, and there is a sense that the organization's communications may lag behind the immediacy of concerns. The Don/Director of Nursing becomes a focal point in one account, described as someone the writer could not easily reach, with updates that come in a roundabout fashion rather than through straightforward answers. The Ombudsman visit is mentioned, implying that state oversight had engaged the facility, though the reporting format left the writer longing for a tracking number or more formal documentation. The overall takeaway is that information about safety and quarantine can feel elusive, even as the community continues to engage with the facility through direct channels and public forums.

Amid this thread of cautious skepticism, there is also a thick strand of appreciation for individuals who clearly made a difference in personal experiences. The author emphasizes that there is a long-term resident in the family - five years - and uses that lens to reflect on the complexities of long-term care. The sentiment leans toward empathy for the administrative challenges that come with running a large facility: changes in leadership, evolving procedures, and the slow tempo of improvements. The writer acknowledges the "devil you know" dynamic - the sense that the current administrator is trying, but change cannot happen overnight. In this broader context, the reviewer recognizes that the long-term care industry faces systemic issues that extend beyond any single facility, and they urge cautious optimism tempered with realism about what a highly dynamic environment can and cannot deliver.

Against this backdrop of nuanced critique, the social services staff member Ana emerges as a standout in the eyes of many families. The reviews are glowing about Ana's kindness, empathy, and steadfast support during difficult times for a family member, with statements that she "went above and beyond" and that her dedication is "admirable." The facility itself earns praise for cleanliness and comfort: rooms described as pleasant and well-kept, with the environment conducive to recovery and staying engaged. The medical and care teams receive positive mentions: doctors who visit and care staff - nurses, CNAs, and front-desk personnel - are repeatedly cited as attentive and kind. One reviewer particularly notes Stephan, the activity or entertainment coordinator, as a cheerful presence who knew long-term residents' names, underscoring a sense of community that makes the facility feel more personal and less institutional. Additional praise comes from a reviewer who uses Marin Post Acute Care across multiple stays, highlighting capable CNAs such as Ross, Kaylee, Breuny, and Carlos, and lauding the social services team as a consistent source of support.

Yet, alongside the praise, there are pointed criticisms that reveal the facility's weak spots. Some reviews hold up the phone system as a persistent bottleneck, and even when patient care is strong, individual touchpoints can falter - phones in rooms that do not work, or delays in basic tasks like delivering tea after a bell is rung. A number of the critical accounts center on supervisor or case-management interactions that feel diminutive or dismissive to families. One family member describes Kaiser Case Managers in a way that suggests frustration with communication and responsiveness, painting a picture of a care system where administrative aspects can interfere with timely, respectful collaboration. There are also intensely negative experiences - strong, emotional reviews that describe conditions as "horrible" and "nasty." In these accounts, the description of care includes long waits, residents being left unsupervised, and rooms with lingering odors, while other reviewers inside the same post celebrate good care in other areas. The juxtaposition highlights how care quality can appear inconsistent across different units, staff shifts, or days.

Taken as a whole, the collection of notes presents a facility that embodies the dual realities of modern long-term care: moments of extraordinary compassion, cleanliness, and professional competence, paired with logistical and communication hurdles that can leave families feeling unheard or uncertain. The positive stories emphasize a culture of genuine care in which individuals like Ana, Dr. Brindley, and several CNAs contribute meaningfully to residents' well-being, while the denser administrative narratives remind readers that turnover, information gaps, and variable leadership presence can challenge the experience. The overarching theme is not simply a verdict about quality, but a portrait of a place navigating the demanding terrain of care governance, where on-site time, transparent communication, and consistent leadership presence are as important as clinical outcomes and tidy facilities.

In the end, the portrait painted by these accounts is neither wholly condemning nor unconditionally celebratory. Marin Post Acute Care appears to be a place that can deliver high-quality, compassionate care in many moments, especially when the right staff are present and engaged with families. At the same time, the history of online chatter emphasizes how critical it is for families to invest time at the facility, to talk directly with multiple members of staff, and to seek corroborating information from different sources, including state oversight channels. The best way forward, for families and for the facility alike, seems to lie in maintaining open lines of communication, ensuring leadership visibility, and continuing to cultivate the kind of empathetic, patient-centered care that Ana and others have demonstrated, while addressing the operational friction points that can color even the strongest individual experiences.

Parks

• Lagoon Park (0.6 miles)
• China Camp State Park (1.4 miles)
• Sun Valley Park (1.9 miles)
• Victor Jones Park (2.2 miles)
• Peacock Gap Park (2.7 miles)
• Peri Park (4 miles)
• Bon Air Landing Park (4.1 miles)

Physicians

• Eye Institute of Marin (1 miles)
• Rita A. Vileisis, MD (1 miles)
• Dr. Helen Paek, provider of Eyexam Of CA (1.3 miles)
• Kaiser Permanente (1.3 miles)
• One Medical (1.4 miles)
• Edwin Munich, MD (1.4 miles)
• San Francisco Audiology (1.4 miles)

Places of Worship

• Valley Baptist Church (1 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (1.1 miles)
• Rite Aid (1.2 miles)
• Walgreens (1.4 miles)
• Walgreens (2.1 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.9 miles)
• Walgreens (2.9 miles)

Theaters

• Century Theaters (1.3 miles)
• Century Larkspur (3.8 miles)

Restaurants

• BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse (1.3 miles)
• Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine (2.1 miles)
• Pond Farm Brewing Company (2.2 miles)
• Miracle Mile Cafe (2.4 miles)
• Insalata's Restaurant (3 miles)
• Picante (3.1 miles)
• Wild Fox Mesquite Fired Kitchen (3.4 miles)

Cafes

• Red Whale Coffee (1.4 miles)
• Starbucks (2.4 miles)
• M.H.Bread and Butter (3.2 miles)
• Rustic Bakery (3.9 miles)
• Fairfax Coffee Roastery (3.9 miles)
• Split Rock Tap & Wheel (3.9 miles)
• Equator Coffees & Teas (4.9 miles)

Hospitals

• Tamalpais Shambhala Meditation Group (2.2 miles)
• Marin General Hospital (3.9 miles)
• Caremeridian (4.1 miles)
• Novato Community Hospital (7 miles)
• Chaplain's Office: Novato Community Hospital: Sutter Health Affiliate (7 miles)

Transportation

• Smart Train Station Hamilton (3.7 miles)