Overall sentiment across the reviews is mixed but leans toward concern because of multiple serious operational and clinical complaints, balanced by pockets of genuinely compassionate and capable care. Positive comments emphasize caring, attentive staff members, strong rehab encouragement, a smaller facility atmosphere, organized activities (bingo, exercise, massages, nails, reading, snacks), and good food. Several reviewers describe long-term satisfaction and speak highly of individual nurses, CNAs, and therapists who included residents in activities and provided meaningful social interaction and outdoor time when weather allowed.
However, a substantial and recurring set of negative themes emerges around staffing, management, and clinical safety. Multiple reviewers report understaffing, canceled shifts without notice, limited after-hours contact, and weekend delays in care. These operational failures are tied to accounts of inattentive or "lazy" nurses and CNAs, insufficient supplies (diapers, towels), and poor communication with families. Management and administration are singled out by name in some reviews and characterized as unhelpful or deceptive, which compounds family frustration when concerns are raised.
Clinical and safety concerns are particularly notable. There are specific reports of medication mismanagement (for example, diuretics not being resumed), resulting in uncontrolled edema and hospital readmission. At least one reviewer reports poor catheter care that contributed to a near-death event and extended ICU stay, with a formal complaint filed. Other clinical complaints include unnecessary nebulizer treatments and failure to assist patients with transfers (such as not helping a patient into a car). These incidents indicate variability in clinical competence and raise risk-of-harm issues that families should weigh heavily.
Facility and amenity issues include small, shared rooms and the absence of telephones in rooms; supply shortages were also mentioned. In contrast, some reviewers describe the facility as "smaller" in a positive sense, giving a more personal feel. Activities and dining receive generally favorable comments from those who experienced them, though some reviewers note reduced programming due to infection-control measures (a virus) during certain periods.
A key pattern is inconsistency: many reviewers praise individual staff members and specific services, while others recount serious lapses in care and management failures. This suggests the facility may perform well when staffed by experienced, attentive employees but is vulnerable to poor outcomes during understaffed shifts or when problematic management practices prevail. Given the severity of some negative reports (readmissions, ICU stay, complaint filings), prospective residents and families should probe staffing levels, medication and catheter-care protocols, shift continuity, how after-hours concerns are handled, and which staff will be assigned before making placement decisions.
In summary, Saint Francis Health Services appears to offer genuinely compassionate care and solid programs in some instances, but recurring operational, management, and clinical safety concerns reported by multiple reviewers create meaningful risk. The reviews recommend caution: verify staffing consistency, observe multiple shifts if possible, ask detailed questions about clinical protocols, and confirm how the facility handles supplies and after-hours communication. The facility may be a good fit when staffed by its strongest employees, but systemic issues described by reviewers could lead to serious adverse outcomes during weaker periods.
