Norseland Nursing Home
323 Black River Ave, Westby, WI 54667 · Vernon County · 50 certified beds · avg 38 residents/day · certified since Jul 1, 1997
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.
Most serious findings (actual harm or immediate jeopardy)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · May 1, 2024 · F-0689
The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls.
Why it matters: This is one of the most common citations and directly relates to falls and injuries, which can be devastating for older adults.
Severity (G): One or a few residents were actually harmed — physically or emotionally — though not put in immediate danger of serious injury or death.
Corrected: May 29, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (18)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 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. |
| Jun 19, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not serve food and drinks that were appetizing, attractive, and at a safe and pleasant temperature. |
| Jun 19, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide enough food and fluids to keep residents healthy, such as preventing unplanned weight loss or dehydration. |
| May 1, 2024 | ▲ G · Actual harm, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. |
| May 1, 2024 | F · Potential for harm, facility-wide | 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. |
| May 1, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not provide the care needed to maintain or improve residents' movement and flexibility — such as range-of-motion exercises — leading to avoidable decline. |
| May 1, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not make sure the resident's doctor reviewed their care and wrote, signed, and dated progress notes and orders at each required visit. |
| May 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not honor residents' rights to request, refuse, or stop treatment, to decline participation in medical research, or to make an advance directive — a written statement of their wishes for future medical care. |
| May 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not create and follow a basic care plan covering a new resident's most immediate needs within 48 hours of admission. The first days are when a new resident is most vulnerable. |
| May 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility provided care that did not meet professional standards of quality — the accepted standards that nurses and other clinicians are expected to follow. |
| May 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide safe and appropriate pain management for a resident who needed it. |
| May 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide the social services residents need — such as counseling, help with adjustment, or connecting to outside resources — to achieve the best possible quality of life. |
| May 1, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not try to gradually reduce doses of mood- and mind-altering medications or use non-drug approaches first, as required, or used 'as needed' psychiatric drugs without proper limits. |
| May 1, 2024 | C · Minimal risk, facility-wide | The facility did not give residents proper notice about what Medicare or Medicaid covers, or about charges the resident might owe for services that aren't covered. |
| Feb 9, 2023 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not develop and follow policies and procedures for offering residents flu and pneumonia vaccinations. |
| Feb 9, 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. |
| Feb 9, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide the care needed to maintain or improve residents' movement and flexibility — such as range-of-motion exercises — leading to avoidable decline. |
| Feb 9, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not educate residents and staff about COVID-19 vaccination, offer the vaccine to those eligible after that education, or properly document everyone's vaccination status. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections decreased between the last two inspection cycles (11 → 3).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | E |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | G ▲ |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 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 | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 4.03 | 4.29 | 3.95 | bottom 46% in Wisconsin; top 38% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 1.09 | 1.01 | 0.69 | top 36% in Wisconsin; top 12% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.55 | 3.84 | 3.50 | bottom 44% in Wisconsin; top 40% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.57 | 0.68 | 0.48 | bottom 42% in Wisconsin; top 25% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 34.0 | 46.9 | 45.8 | top 15% in Wisconsin; top 22% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 27.3 | 39.7 | 42.9 | top 30% in Wisconsin; top 24% 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 3.85, RN 1.04, weekend 3.39. Staffing rating: 4/5.
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: 3/5 · long-stay residents: 3/5 · short-stay residents: 3/5
Who owns this facility
Government - City
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braley, Matthew | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2022 |
| Feirtag, Megan | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/10/2022 |
| Hanson, Charles | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2022 |
| Kite, Cindi | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2018 |
| Kotnour, Joseph | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/21/2016 |
| Passe, Nicholas | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2019 |
| Patros, Paul | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2017 |
| Pedace, Terri | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2021 |
| Quarberg, Bradley | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/21/2014 |
| Sacie, Bonita | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2022 |
| Spilde, Steve | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2017 |
| Strohm, Barbara | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/21/2014 |
| Ubbelohde, Craig | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/26/2012 |
| Wichelt, Joyce | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2014 |
| Zeman, Elaine | Individual | W-2 Managing Employee | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/27/2021 |
| Zeman, Elaine | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/27/2021 |
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?"
- "Could I join residents for a meal to see the food quality and temperature for myself?"
- "How do you monitor residents' weight and eating, and what happens when someone starts losing weight?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "What do you do daily to keep residents moving, and how do you help residents at risk of losing mobility?"
- "How often does each resident's doctor visit and review their care in person?"
- "How do you record and honor each resident's treatment wishes and advance directives, and how do staff know about them?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Manor | 6.3 mi | Viroqua, WI | ★★★★☆ | 3/5 | |
| Soldiers Grove Health Services | 19.3 mi | Soldiers Grove, WI | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Morrow Memorial Home | 19.5 mi | Sparta, WI | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| Hillview Health Care Ctr | 19.5 mi | La Crosse, WI | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| Lakeview Health Center | 19.7 mi | West Salem, WI | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| Bethany St Joseph Care Ctr | 19.9 mi | La Crosse, WI | ★★★★☆ | 3/5 | |
| Rolling Hills Rehab Ctr | 19.9 mi | Sparta, WI | ★★★☆☆ | 2/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 525619.