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Westward Heights Care Center
150 Caring Way, Lander, WY 82520 (opens Google Maps) · Fremont County · (307) 332-5560· 60 certified beds · avg 55 residents/day · certified since Jan 1, 1990 · Medicare and Medicaid certified
Certified for both programmes. Certification means the facility can bill Medicaid — it does not mean a Medicaid-funded bed is free right now, so ask directly. Who pays for nursing home care →
4/5
Health inspection rating (on-site)
inspected Mar 27, 2025
0
Serious findings on record
$0
Fines, last 3 years
4.52
Nurse hours/resident/day (adjusted)
Every record stays on this page.
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
New to these records? How to read an inspection report →
Health inspection rating: ★★★★☆4/5 · CMS overall rating: 4/5 · how star ratings work →
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 quality measures from resident assessments and claims.
Inspection findings in the public record
Showing the latest 3 of 9 inspection findings. Open the full record below to read every finding.
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 F-0627
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. F-0880
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. F-0758
View all 9 inspection findingsShow only the latest 3 findings
CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed — that window is CMS's, not ours. Within it, every citation CMS publishes for this facility is listed here: none excluded.
| Date | Severity | What the facility was cited for |
|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2026 | D · Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated | 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 · F-0627 |
| Mar 27, 2025 | E · Potential for more than minimal harm, pattern | 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. · F-0880 |
| Mar 27, 2025 | D · Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated | 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. · F-0758 |
| Jan 14, 2025 | D · Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated | 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 · F-0600 |
| Jan 14, 2025 | D · Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated | 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 · F-0684 |
| Jan 11, 2024 | D · Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated | The facility did not provide safe, appropriate care for residents who need dialysis — the treatment that filters the blood when kidneys fail. · F-0698 |
| Jan 11, 2024 | D · Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated | 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. · F-0880 |
| Nov 3, 2022 | D · Potential for more than minimal harm, isolated | 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. · F-0758 |
| Nov 3, 2022 | C · Potential for minimal harm, widespread | The facility did not make sure its staff were vaccinated for COVID-19 in accordance with the federal requirements in effect at the time. · F-0888 |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections stayed about the same across the last two inspection cycles (2 → 2).
All citationsSerious citations (G–L)
2022
All citations: 2
Serious citations (G–L): 0
2024
All citations: 2
Serious citations (G–L): 0
2025
All citations: 4
Serious citations (G–L): 0
2026
All citations: 1
Serious citations (G–L): 0
All bars start at zero. Exact values and supporting details remain below.
| 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)
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
What these staffing numbers mean →
This facilityWyoming averageU.S. average
Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day)
This facility: 4.52
Wyoming average: 4.47
U.S. average: 3.95
Registered Nurse hours
This facility: 1.23
Wyoming average: 1.09
U.S. average: 0.69
Weekend total nurse staffing
This facility: 3.89
Wyoming average: 3.89
U.S. average: 3.50
All bars start at zero. Exact values and supporting details remain below.
| 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 for the most recent quarter of payroll data in this CMS release (2026-08-01) — the same quarter for every facility — 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.Comparing with Medicare Care Compare? Care Compare shows the raw figure (3.73 here, displayed there as hours and minutes), not the adjusted one above. Both are correct; they answer different questions. Staffing rating: 4/5.
Quality measures: assessments & claims
Note: CMS combines facility-reported resident assessments (MDS) with claims-based measures. These are different sources from on-site inspection findings. Read the measures alongside inspection and staffing records; a high QM rating does not establish that a home is safe.
Quality measures rating: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 4/5 · short-stay residents: 4/5
Costs & payment
Price evidence · separate from quality
No verified facility-specific private-pay price is available in our data for Westward Heights Care Center. CMS inspection and staffing records do not tell us what this home will charge you.
Calculate a stay from a quote you receive
Use a written private-pay quote. This worksheet adds only the amounts you enter; it does not calculate Medicare, Medicaid or insurance benefits.
Formula: (room rate + daily extras) × days + one-time charges. A 30-day scenario is not a calendar-month quote. Refundable deposits, rate changes and charges you omit are not automatically included. Entries are not saved or sent to our server.
Before you compare prices
- Request the room type, effective date and itemized daily rate in writing.
- Ask about therapy, medicines, supplies, care-level charges, deposits, refunds and annual increases.
- Confirm insurance or Medicaid eligibility and bed availability directly; certification alone does not guarantee either.
Understand who pays for care · How we handle price evidence · Report an incorrect price
Who owns this facility
How to read ownership records →
Ownership records as published by CMS on 2026-08-01. CMS records when an owner joined but not when they left. Listed here and no longer involved? Tell us →
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 |
All 13 owning or managing parties CMS has on file are shown — none excluded.
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?"
Also worth asking anywhere
- "What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
- "Can I see the plan of correction for the findings in your most recent state inspection?"
- "CMS reports 46% total nursing staff turnover here — who on the care team has been with you longest?"
- "The ownership record on file lists 13 owning or managing parties — who makes the decisions about staffing levels?"
- "Can I visit again unannounced, at a mealtime or on a weekend?"
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 →
Other facilities in the same county
CMS records place this facility in Fremont, WY — 4 certified facilities there. These are outside the 20-mile list above, or far enough down it not to appear.
- Wind River Rehabilitation and Wellness — Riverton, WY · overall 2/5
Listed by facility name — not a ranking. Homes already in the table above are not repeated here.
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 535034.