Valley Vista Care Center of Sandpoint
220 South Division Ave, Sandpoint, ID 83864 · Bonner County · 73 certified beds · avg 67 residents/day · certified since Jul 1, 1973
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★☆☆☆☆1/5 · CMS overall rating: 1/5
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)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · May 6, 2024 · F-0600 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not protect residents from abuse or neglect. This covers physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect, by anyone — staff, other residents, or visitors.
Why it matters: Abuse and neglect cause direct physical and emotional harm and are among the most serious failures a nursing home can have.
Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.
Corrected: Jun 21, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · May 6, 2024 · F-0689 · triggered by a complaint
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: Jun 21, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (29)
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 27, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not accurately assess a resident's health and needs. Assessments are the foundation for all the care a resident receives. · from a complaint |
| Jun 27, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not serve meals and snacks at times that fit residents' needs, preferences, and requests, or did not offer nourishing alternatives for residents who want to eat outside scheduled meal times. · from a complaint |
| Jun 27, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | 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 27, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | 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. · from a complaint |
| Jun 27, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not treat residents with dignity and respect, or did not honor their rights to make their own decisions and communicate freely. This is one of the most fundamental resident rights. · from a complaint |
| Jun 27, 2025 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Jun 27, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, including safe support for residents' daily living needs. · from a complaint |
| Jun 27, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not make sure a transfer or discharge met the resident's needs and preferences, or did not properly prepare the resident to leave safely. · from a complaint |
| Jun 27, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide required paperwork or notices about a resident's needs, their right to appeal a transfer or discharge, or the facility's bed-hold policy (how long a bed is saved during a hospital stay). · from a complaint |
| Jun 27, 2025 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Jun 27, 2025 | 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. · from a complaint |
| Jun 27, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide safe and appropriate pain management for a resident who needed it. · from a complaint |
| Jun 27, 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 |
| Jun 27, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility employed staff who were not licensed, certified, or registered as required by state law. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off | The facility did not protect residents from abuse or neglect. This covers physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect, by anyone — staff, other residents, or visitors. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 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. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility's quality committee — the internal group responsible for finding and fixing care problems — did not have the required members or did not meet at least every three months. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not make sure its nurse aides had the skills needed to care for residents, including training in dementia care and abuse prevention. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not treat residents with dignity and respect, or did not honor their rights to make their own decisions and communicate freely. This is one of the most fundamental resident rights. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not allow residents to take their own medications when a clinical review showed they could do so safely. Residents have this right if their care team determines it's appropriate. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | 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. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | 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. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft to the proper authorities quickly enough, or did not report the results of its investigation. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not respond appropriately to alleged violations, such as reports of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment. Facilities must investigate every allegation and protect residents while they do. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility allowed residents to lose the ability to do daily activities — like bathing, dressing, and eating — when there was no medical reason for the decline. Good care helps residents keep the abilities they have. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide treatment and care that follows the doctor's orders and matches the resident's own preferences and goals. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide safe and appropriate respiratory care — such as oxygen, breathing treatments, or care for residents on breathing equipment — for residents who needed it. · from a complaint |
| May 6, 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. · from a complaint |
| Jan 31, 2019 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not label drugs according to professional standards or did not store them in locked compartments, with controlled drugs (medications with a high risk of misuse) kept under a separate lock. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections stayed about the same across the last two inspection cycles (14 → 14).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | E |
| 2024 | 14 | 2 | J ▲ |
| 2025 | 14 | 0 | E |
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)
1 fine totaling $40,918.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2024 | Fine | $40,918 |
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | Idaho avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 4.97 | 4.03 | 3.95 | top 19% in Idaho; top 14% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.61 | 0.87 | 0.69 | bottom 29% in Idaho; top 48% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 4.65 | 3.48 | 3.50 | top 15% in Idaho; top 10% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.38 | 0.56 | 0.48 | bottom 25% in Idaho; bottom 48% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 64.1 | 50.3 | 45.8 | bottom 15% in Idaho; bottom 11% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 25.0 | 41.0 | 42.9 | top 15% in Idaho; top 20% 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 4.47, RN 0.54, weekend 4.18. 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: 2/5 · long-stay residents: 2/5 · short-stay residents: 2/5
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowin, William | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/03/2016 |
| Goodall, Tom | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2021 |
| Hayes, Donna | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2021 |
| Lambert, Michael | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2022 |
| Lambert, Michael | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2022 |
| Lloyd, Charles | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/17/2019 |
| McGreal, Heidi | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/26/1998 |
| Meza, Michael | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2018 |
| Meza, Michael | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2018 |
| Powell, Sabrina | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2024 |
| Ryan, Doug | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2020 |
| Spooner, Claudia | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2013 |
| Valley Vista Care Corporation | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/30/1999 |
| Wilks, Kasey | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/15/1999 |
| Woodin, Cheri | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/30/2019 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "Tell me about this abuse or neglect citation — what happened, and what specific changes did you make afterward?"
- "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
- "Who completes resident assessments here, and how do you check them for accuracy?"
- "What happens if a resident is hungry between meals or misses a mealtime — what food options are available?"
- "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "Can you give me examples of how your staff protect residents' dignity in everyday care, like bathing and dressing?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life Care Center of Sandpoint | 0.8 mi | Sandpoint, ID | ★★★☆☆ | 2/5 |
Compare this facility with the 1 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 135055.