Heritage Care Center

Name: Heritage Care Center
Address: 909 17th Street, Fairbury, NE, 68352, US
Telephone: 4027292289

909 17th Street, Fairbury, NE 68352 · Jefferson County · 100 certified beds · avg 48 residents/day · certified since Jul 1, 2004

Part of chain: VETTER SENIOR LIVING (22 facilities, chain avg rating 4.2★)

3/5

Health inspection rating (on-site)

Serious findings on record

Fines, last 3 years

3.23

Nurse hours/resident/day (adjusted)

What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)

Health inspection rating: ★★★☆☆3/5 · CMS overall rating: 3/5

The health inspection star above is graded on a curve within each state — a set share of each state's facilities gets each star level — so a facility can have few citations and still rate 2–3 stars if others in its state did even better. The overall rating combines that inspection score with staffing and self-reported quality measures.

All citations in the current public record (11)

CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed.

Date	Severity	What the facility was cited for
Aug 5, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. · from a complaint
Jun 17, 2025	F · Potential for harm, facility-wide	The facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards. · from a complaint
Jun 17, 2025	F · Potential for harm, facility-wide	The facility did not keep all essential equipment working safely — things like heating and cooling systems, kitchen equipment, and medical devices. · from a complaint
Jun 17, 2025	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility's medication error rate was 5 percent or higher — meaning too many doses were given incorrectly, such as the wrong drug, dose, or time.
Jun 17, 2025	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not keep residents free from significant medication errors — such as giving the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or missing a critical medication.
Feb 19, 2025	E · Potential for harm, repeated	The facility did not immediately notify the resident, their doctor, and a family member when something significant happened — such as an injury, a decline in health, or a room change. Families and doctors are entitled to know right away. · from a complaint
Feb 19, 2025	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not keep residents' medications free from unnecessary drugs. Residents should only take medicines they truly need, at the right dose, for a clear reason. · from a complaint
May 2, 2024	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not provide specialized rehabilitation services — like physical, occupational, or speech therapy — by qualified staff when a doctor ordered them for a resident.
May 2, 2024	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not have or follow an effective program to prevent and control infections — such as proper hand washing, cleaning, and isolation practices. This is the most commonly cited deficiency nationwide.
Jun 16, 2023	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not immediately notify the resident, their doctor, and a family member when something significant happened — such as an injury, a decline in health, or a room change. Families and doctors are entitled to know right away.
Jun 16, 2023	D · Potential for harm, one-off	The facility did not protect residents from misuse of their belongings or money — this is called misappropriation, and it includes theft or improper use of a resident's property or funds.

Inspection trend by year

Citations from standard inspections increased between the last two inspection cycles (2 → 4).

Year	Citations	Worst severity that year
2023	2	D
2024	2	D
2025	7	F

Counts reflect the current CMS public record (~3 inspection cycles plus complaint investigations); years with no surveys show no row. Inspection frequency varies, so compare severity as well as counts.

Fines and enforcement (last 3 years)

No fines or payment denials in the published 3-year window.

Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)

Measure	This facility	Nebraska avg	U.S. avg	Where it stands
Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day)	3.23	4.33	3.95	bottom 8% in Nebraska; bottom 23% in the U.S.
Registered Nurse hours	0.61	0.72	0.69	bottom 39% in Nebraska; top 46% in the U.S.
Weekend total nurse staffing	2.54	3.79	3.50	bottom 2% in Nebraska; bottom 10% in the U.S.
Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted)	0.36	0.47	0.48	bottom 41% in Nebraska; bottom 45% in the U.S.
Total nursing staff turnover (%)	42.5	48.7	45.8	top 41% in Nebraska; top 43% in the U.S.
RN turnover (%)	0.0	44.1	42.9	top 1% in Nebraska; top 1% in the U.S.

Hours are per resident per day, case-mix adjusted by CMS so facilities caring for sicker residents can be compared fairly (same basis as the CMS staffing star). "Top X%" means better than most facilities: more staffing hours, or lower turnover. Raw (unadjusted) reported hours: total 2.70, RN 0.51, weekend 2.12. Staffing rating: 3/5.

Self-reported quality measures

Note: these ratings are based on data the facility reports about itself to CMS. They are not independently verified by inspectors, and can look better than inspection findings. Give more weight to the inspection results above.

Quality measures rating: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 4/5 · short-stay residents: —/5

Who owns this facility

Non profit - Corporation

Owner / manager	Type	Role	Stake	Since
Vetter Senior Living	Organization	5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest	100%	12/23/2016
Sloane, Martina	Individual	Contracted Managing Employee	NOT APPLICABLE	08/21/2017
Sloane, Martina	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	08/21/2017
Stroklund, Rebecca	Individual	Contracted Managing Employee	NOT APPLICABLE	08/20/2021
Stroklund, Rebecca	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	08/20/2021
Stuhr, Brian	Individual	Contracted Managing Employee	NOT APPLICABLE	07/01/2017
Stuhr, Brian	Individual	Corporate Officer	NOT APPLICABLE	06/15/2017
Stuhr, Brian	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	07/01/2017
Vanekeren, Glenn	Individual	Contracted Managing Employee	NOT APPLICABLE	07/01/2017
Vanekeren, Glenn	Individual	Corporate Officer	NOT APPLICABLE	06/15/2017
Vanekeren, Glenn	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	07/01/2017
Vetter Senior Living	Organization	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	12/23/2016
Vetter, Eldora	Individual	Contracted Managing Employee	NOT APPLICABLE	07/01/2017
Vetter, Eldora	Individual	Corporate Officer	NOT APPLICABLE	06/15/2017
Vetter, Eldora	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	07/01/2017
Vetter, Jack	Individual	Contracted Managing Employee	NOT APPLICABLE	07/01/2017
Vetter, Jack	Individual	Corporate Officer	NOT APPLICABLE	06/15/2017
Vetter, Jack	Individual	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	07/01/2017
VSL Vetter Health Services LLC	Organization	Operational/Managerial Control	NOT APPLICABLE	07/01/2017

Questions to ask on your visit

Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.

"What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
"What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
"How do you inspect and maintain essential equipment, and how quickly are repairs made?"
"What is your current medication error rate, and what have you changed to bring errors down?"
"What systems do you use to prevent medication errors, and what happens when one occurs?"
"If my family member falls or their condition changes, exactly when and how will I be notified?"
"How often is each resident's medication list reviewed, and who decides when a drug can be reduced or stopped?"
"How quickly do residents start therapy after a doctor orders it, and who provides it?"
"What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
"Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"

Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)

Facility	Distance	City	Overall	Inspection	Flags
Jefferson Community Health & Life Gardenside	0.3 mi	Fairbury, NE	★★★★☆	5/5

Compare this facility with the 1 closest →

All facilities in Fairbury →

Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 285262.

The Care File

Visit checklist — Heritage Care Center

909 17th Street, Fairbury, NE 68352 · 4027292289

Health inspection rating 3/5 · CMS overall 3/5· Fines (3y): $0

Questions for the administrator:

☐ "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
☐ "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
☐ "How do you inspect and maintain essential equipment, and how quickly are repairs made?"
☐ "What is your current medication error rate, and what have you changed to bring errors down?"
☐ "What systems do you use to prevent medication errors, and what happens when one occurs?"
☐ "If my family member falls or their condition changes, exactly when and how will I be notified?"
☐ "How often is each resident's medication list reviewed, and who decides when a drug can be reduced or stopped?"
☐ "How quickly do residents start therapy after a doctor orders it, and who provides it?"
☐ "What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
☐ "Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"

While you're there, notice:

☐ Smell and cleanliness in hallways, not just the lobby
☐ How staff speak to residents; call lights answered promptly
☐ Residents up, dressed, and engaged (visit mealtimes and a weekend if you can)

Data: CMS Provider Data Catalog, version 2026-08-01 · CCN 285262 · Verify at medicare.gov/care-compare · Printed from The Care File (thecarefile.com)