Willow Springs Care sits over on Tieton Drive in Yakima, Washington, and it's a nursing home with 75 certified beds, split between 39 private rooms and big semi-private rooms, so folks don't have to feel too crowded if they don't want to. The place offers skilled nursing services day and night, so that means people needing long-term care, short-term stays to get back on their feet, or just a break for their regular caregivers can get help here. Willow Springs Care focuses a lot on therapy-there's a therapy gym with equipment and specialists who help with physical, occupational, and speech therapy, especially if someone's had a stroke or surgery like a joint replacement, or even a fracture. The staff does its best with memory care, too, and there's a gentle care unit for folks with Alzheimer's or dementia, so they have more support and safety. Social and recreational activities are on the calendar to try to keep life from getting dull, plus Bible study and chapel services if someone's interested. Meals and snacks are planned with different nutritional needs in mind, and social workers help people deal with physical, mental, and emotional problems. The two courtyards and an elegant dining hall probably give it a bit of breathing room, and the rooms-especially the private ones-let people have their own space, which isn't common everywhere.
Though Willow Springs Care is a state-of-the-art place and offers things like hospice and palliative care along with regular medical care, it has had several issues show up in the official reports over the years. The facility has Medicare certification, is a for-profit corporation owned by Jeffrey Hyatt and Norman Hyatt, and it's part of Hyatt Family Facilities Llc, so there's some business behind it. Inspections by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found 43 total deficiencies, with five tied to infection control-things like not having a proper infection prevention program, which is important. The facility's had trouble with pharmacy services, for example with managing how drugs are labeled and stored, and there've been concerns about how staff does resident assessments and planning, including PASARR screenings. Nurse turnover is high, with more than half the nurses leaving, and staff provide about 4.24 nursing hours per resident per day, which tells you a little about how care is managed. About 53 people live there on average, and veteran residents can use the place since it's contracted with the Veteran's Administration. Reviews on the web give it a 2.3 out of 5 from a dozen people, reflecting some of those concerns but also showing that the place is known in the area for its rehabilitation services and range of care options.
