Overall sentiment: Reviews for Vivo Healthcare West Orange are highly mixed and polarized. A substantial subset of reviewers describes outstanding therapeutic care and individual staff members who are compassionate, professional, and go above and beyond. At the same time, a large number of reports describe serious operational, clinical, and environmental problems — including delays in care, infection-control lapses, lost belongings, and poor management responsiveness. The pattern is one of uneven quality: certain departments and named employees earn strong praise repeatedly, while systemic issues and variability in nursing and administrative performance produce significant negative outcomes for other families.
Care quality and clinical issues: The strongest positive recurring theme is the rehabilitation team — physical and occupational therapy staff are repeatedly described as “magnificent,” “terrific,” and instrumental in patient recovery. Many reviewers credit therapy staff with rapid improvement and optimism about returning home. Conversely, nursing care is described as inconsistent. Numerous reviews recount long delays responding to call buttons, delayed or missed medication and breathing treatments, catheter and wound-care lapses, and cases where families felt clinical concerns were dismissed. Several reviews mention serious adverse outcomes, including infections that developed during the stay, alleged progression to sepsis, hospital transfers, and one or more reports attributing critical harm to care delays. Falls and safety incidents are also reported, sometimes linked to understaffing or equipment/alarm failures. These clinical themes point to variability in training, staffing levels, and adherence to protocols.
Staff, culture, and personnel: Across reviews there is a sharp divide in staff-related comments. Many individual CNAs, nurses, therapists, admissions staff, and administrators are named and praised for empathy, skill, and responsiveness (frequently cited names include Yvette Kemp, BiBi, Sandra Lopez, Fatima, Marlene, Marie, Marciella, and others). Positive reports highlight caring CNAs, attentive night staff, helpful receptionists, and strong unit-level leaders. In contrast, a substantial number of reviews describe rude, dismissive, or incompetent staff, language-barrier issues, and a culture of turnover that undermines continuity of care. Several reviewers reported management or administrators failing to return calls or adequately address complaints, and some families felt forced to advocate aggressively to get appropriate attention.
Facilities, cleanliness, and infection control: Many reviewers praised the front lobby, certain wings, and particular rooms as clean and well kept; however, frequent and serious complaints about sanitation appear throughout the reviews. Issues include pervasive urine and fecal odors in hallways, sticky/dirty floors, overflowing biohazard/red bins, ants and roaches in patient rooms or drawers, bedbugs in a few reports, and filth near COVID/quarantine areas. Multiple accounts note quarantine cleaning gaps and lack of PPE availability at COVID entry points. These infection-control and environmental cleanliness concerns are among the most frequently cited negatives and are accompanied by reports of rooms in poor condition and generally aging infrastructure (old beds and worn fixtures).
Dining, amenities, and activities: Comments on food and amenities are mixed. A number of reviewers say meals were frequently cold, unappealing, or only partially edible, with trays sometimes left improperly. A few reports note improvement under new kitchen leadership and some praise for satisfying meals. Non-dining amenities receive more consistent praise: the therapy gym, salon, and activities program (creative events, social opportunities, holiday and birthday celebrations) are highlighted positively. Housekeeping/room cleaning and maintenance are reported as very good in many positive reviews but inconsistent in negative ones.
Administration, admissions, and billing: Several reviewers describe an oversold or overly optimistic admissions process (promises of extensive rehab hours not met), disputes over billing (bed-hold fees, charges for therapy not delivered), and poor discharge coordination (discharges without adequate notice, incorrect discharge paperwork, or transfers to other facilities). Loss or misplacement of personal belongings, mixed-up laundry, and claims that clothes were donated or not returned add to family frustration. Numerous accounts mention that administration did not meaningfully respond to complaints or failed to call families back, worsening perceptions of accountability.
Safety, operations, and patterns: Recurring operational concerns include chronic understaffing, long wait times for CNA assistance, language barriers, lack of lifts or equipment for safe transfers, and failure to hold beds or properly coordinate discharge timing with families. The combination of staffing shortages and reported lapses in care has led to repeated family advocacy and multiple hospital readmissions in some cases. Simultaneously, there are multiple reports of teams or units where staffing is adequate and patient safety is actively managed, again underscoring the inconsistency of service.
Notable patterns and recommendations: The dominant pattern is variability — experiences often depend on which staff, shift, or unit a patient encounters. Rehab-oriented patients or families who interacted mainly with therapy teams and some praised CNAs reported strong, positive outcomes. Families whose relatives encountered nursing-staff shortages, sanitation problems, or administrative lapses reported deeply negative outcomes, sometimes alleging clinical harm. For prospective families: confirm current staffing levels, ask specifically about nurse-to-patient ratios on the intended unit and during nights/weekends; inquire about infection-control protocols and pest-management records; verify promised therapy hours in writing; clarify discharge policies, bed-hold fees, and billing practices; and document receipt of personal belongings and laundry policies. For families already experiencing problems: escalate in writing to administration, document incidents with dates/times, consider contacting regulatory agencies for unresolved safety or infection-control issues, and insist on written plans for clinical concerns.
Bottom line: Vivo Healthcare West Orange presents a mixed picture. Its therapy department, many individual caregivers, and activities/amenities receive strong praise and produce clear rehabilitative value for many patients. However, persistent, recurring complaints about nursing inconsistencies, cleanliness and pest issues, poor communication from management, and safety/clinical lapses are significant and well-documented across reviews. These systemic concerns — especially those tied to infection control, emergency responsiveness, and administration responsiveness — warrant careful due diligence by families considering placement and proactive oversight by families of current residents.
