Westward Heights Care Center
150 Caring Way, Lander, WY 82520 · Fremont County · 60 certified beds · avg 55 residents/day · certified since Jan 1, 1990
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★★★☆4/5 · CMS overall rating: 4/5
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 (9)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2026 | 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 |
| Mar 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. |
| Mar 27, 2025 | 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. |
| Jan 14, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, 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 |
| Jan 14, 2025 | 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 |
| Jan 11, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide safe, appropriate care for residents who need dialysis — the treatment that filters the blood when kidneys fail. |
| Jan 11, 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. |
| Nov 3, 2022 | 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. |
| Nov 3, 2022 | C · Minimal risk, facility-wide | The facility did not make sure its staff were vaccinated for COVID-19 in accordance with the federal requirements in effect at the time. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections stayed about the same across the last two inspection cycles (2 → 2).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | D |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | D |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | E |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | D |
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 | Wyoming avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 4.52 | 4.47 | 3.95 | top 43% in Wyoming; top 23% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 1.23 | 1.09 | 0.69 | top 29% in Wyoming; top 9% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.89 | 3.89 | 3.50 | top 46% in Wyoming; top 26% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.61 | 0.65 | 0.48 | top 40% in Wyoming; top 22% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 45.8 | 51.8 | 45.8 | top 40% in Wyoming; bottom 48% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 46.7 | 44.1 | 42.9 | bottom 45% in Wyoming; bottom 41% 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 3.73, RN 1.01, weekend 3.21. 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: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 4/5 · short-stay residents: 4/5
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vetter, Eldora | Individual | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 50% | 10/01/2009 |
| Vetter, Jack | Individual | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 50% | 10/01/2009 |
| Westward Heights Corp | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 100% | 11/03/1971 |
| Baker, Betty | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/01/2009 |
| Cone, Lucy | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2015 |
| Hubble, Lauren | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2022 |
| Kimber, Jeff | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2022 |
| Korell, Natalie | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2015 |
| McKee, Dean | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2022 |
| Nagy, Robert | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/01/2009 |
| Smith, Amy | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2022 |
| Stuhr, Brian | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2017 |
| Vetter Health Services, INC. | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/01/2009 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "Before a resident is discharged or transferred, how do you make sure the new place can actually meet their needs?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "What is your approach to psychiatric medications — how do you try non-drug options first and work to reduce doses over time?"
- "Tell me about this abuse or neglect citation — what happened, and what specific changes did you make afterward?"
- "How do you make sure each resident's care follows the doctor's orders, and what changed after this citation?"
- "How do you coordinate and monitor care for residents who receive dialysis?"
- "What are your current staff vaccination and illness policies for protecting residents?"
- "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View Skilled Nursing Community at WLRC | 1.1 mi | Lander, WY | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | abuse |
| Morning Star Care Center | 14.6 mi | Fort Washakie, WY | ★★★★☆ | 4/5 |
Compare this facility with the 2 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 535034.