What levels of care does this community offer?

Harris Hill Nursing Facility offers skilled nursing.

Are there photos of this home?

There are 6 photos of Harris Hill Nursing Facility on Mirador.

What is Harris Hill Nursing Facility's address?

The full address for this community is 2699 Wehrle Drive, Williamsville, NY, 14221.

Does this community offer respite care?

Yes, Harris Hill Nursing Facility offers respite care. Respite care in assisted living communities provides temporary, short-term relief for primary caregivers by offering professional care for their loved ones. It allows individuals to stay in an assisted living community for a limited time, giving caregivers a break while ensuring residents receive necessary support and assistance with daily activities.

Harris Hill Nursing Facility - Williamsville, NY

Overall impression: Reviews of Harris Hill Nursing Facility are highly polarized. A substantial number of reviewers describe very positive experiences—especially with rehabilitation therapies, some nurses, CNAs and activity staff—while an equally large set of reviews report serious and recurring problems with staffing, basic care, hygiene, communication, and food services. The result is a mixed picture where clinical strengths (notably rehab/PT/OT) and pockets of compassionate staff coexist with systemic issues that have, in many accounts, led to neglectful or unsafe conditions.

Care quality and staffing: The most frequently cited concern is understaffing and inconsistent staffing levels. Reviewers reported extreme examples (one report cited 42 patients to 2 nurses) and long call-light response times (multiple mentions, with one as long as 90 minutes). Consequences described include missed toileting and bathing, residents left in soiled clothing or bedding, long waits for assistance in the dining room, missed meals, late medications (including meds arriving as late as 1 PM), and inadequate pain control overnight. Conversely, several families praised individual nurses, CNAs and some aides as attentive and compassionate; those positive accounts often emphasize that care quality can vary widely by shift and specific staff members.

Rehabilitation and activities: Therapy and activity programming are consistent bright spots. Numerous reviews single out physical and occupational therapists and rehab staff as excellent—citing mobility improvements, successful discharges, and positive therapy experiences. Activity staff and organized social events (music, Bingo, cook-outs, birthday recognition) were frequently mentioned as enhancing residents’ quality of life.

Facilities, cleanliness and safety: Reports are contradictory regarding the physical environment. Positive comments describe a beautiful lobby, garden-view rooms, clean well-kept residences and pleasant outdoor areas. However, many reviews describe dirty shared bathrooms, sticky floors, feces or urine on floors and in rooms, soiled briefs on trays, and rooms not properly cleaned after brief changes. Some reviewers noted specific safety hazards (e.g., a hole in the floor) and general maintenance issues. These hygiene and safety lapses, when reported, are severe and recurring themes that families described as unacceptable and potentially dangerous.

Dining and nutrition: Dining experiences are widely criticized by many reviewers: poor food quality, meals not arriving, wrong meals for dietary restrictions (e.g., lactose intolerance), missing items despite meal tickets, and general complaints of “deplorable” food. A smaller group of reviewers, however, reported very good meals or flexible menu options and praised dining staff. This contrast again underscores the inconsistency across residents and time periods.

Communication, management and oversight: Communication problems and management responsiveness are major themes. Families reported difficulties obtaining medical records or clear updates, inaudible in-room phone lines requiring calls through the nursing station, and complaints being ignored or inadequately addressed. A few reviews mention supervisors who listened and disciplined staff, but many more describe unresponsive leadership and family members escalating concerns to state agencies. Several reviewers explicitly stated that they filed reports with the New York State Department of Health or Medicare due to the severity of their concerns.

Infection control and COVID: Infection control issues arise repeatedly. At least one review alleges that an employee brought COVID into the facility, causing resident infections and frequent testing afterward. Other reports describe aides not using masks or gloves, raising legitimate safety concerns around contagion and PPE adherence.

Consistency and variability: A dominant pattern is high variability. Many reviewers describe “some staff are great, others not,” with stark contrasts from one shift to the next. This inconsistency affects nearly every domain—hygiene, responsiveness, food service, and communication—and forces families to remain involved and vigilant to secure reliable care. Several reviewers explicitly say family involvement was necessary to ensure basics were done.

Emotional tone and severe complaints: Several reviews are strongly negative, using words like “despicable,” “horrendous,” and “dump” and recounting traumatic experiences (residents left in feces, infections, unmanaged pain, mishandled belongings). Others are effusive in praise, describing the facility as “very special,” highlighting kind staff and successful rehab outcomes. This polarization indicates that experiences are highly dependent on specific staff, timeframes and circumstances.

Bottom line and considerations for families: Harris Hill appears to offer strong rehabilitation services and has many staff members who provide attentive, compassionate care and meaningful activities. However, consistent and serious concerns about staffing levels, delayed responses to call lights, hygiene failures, communication breakdowns, food service problems, and infection-control lapses are repeatedly reported. These issues have prompted some families to file official complaints. Prospective residents and families should weigh the facility’s rehabilitation strengths and positive staff experiences against the documented risks. If considering Harris Hill, it is advisable to: (1) verify staffing levels and supervision during the anticipated shift times, (2) ask specifically about call-light response times, infection control policies, and laundry services, (3) request written protocols for dementia care and medication administration, (4) visit at different times of day to observe staffing and cleanliness, and (5) maintain active family involvement, especially during the first days of admission. The mixed reviews suggest that while many residents receive good care, systemic problems can create serious risks for others, so close oversight and clear expectations are important if you choose this facility.

Harris Hill Nursing Facility sits at 2699 Wehrle Dr in Williamsville, New York, and offers 192 beds in a skilled nursing setting that stays close to full, usually around 97% occupied, which shows folks often choose to stay here or have their loved ones cared for here, and it's managed by The McGuire Group, which is known for running several communities like this. The facility's been certified for 192 beds and serves people who need different types of care, like skilled nursing, inpatient rehabilitation, and specialized memory care for those living with dementia, even the tough cases like FTD, and they have therapy departments on site providing both physical and emotional help, plus social services and psychiatric support so residents can get the right kind of care for whatever they're going through.

The care team works with residents who need short-term rehab after surgery, help with broken bones, or long-term support for chronic illness, and there's always skilled nurses and aides on hand for 24-hour care and help with daily needs. What makes this place a bit different is the wide range of specialty services, like their in-house tracheostomy program, ventilator care, wound care, music therapy, dialysis, cardiac care, bariatric care, complex medical care, orthopedic and pulmonary rehab, and even blood transfusion right on site, which is NY State approved. They also support hospice and palliative care for folks who need end-of-life services, and there's respite and short-term care if families just need a break or short-term help.

The staff get a lot of positive mentions from residents and families, with folks talking about how kind, caring, and helpful the team is, and some nurses and aides have even worked there more than 20 years, showing a real long-term commitment. There's a therapy department using equipment like the VELA Independence Chair to help residents keep moving and improve their independence, which some notice makes recovery easier. Residents can enjoy dining options like a servery where friendly staff, like Kim, help keep mealtime comfortable, and they set up delicatessen-style eating for more familiar routines.

Harris Hill handles Medicare and Medicaid, so coverage is wide, and they receive annual checks by the New York State Department of Health, earning high marks from the federal government and keeping an overall 3.7-star rating from residents. While the Medicare rating stands at 3 out of 5 stars, federal star ratings for nursing care have marked Harris Hill as outstanding in some years, which matters when picking a facility that stays up to standard. The building and programs have features that aim to reduce confusion or wandering for folks with dementia, and the staff focuses on treating everyone with dignity and respect, making sure people get personal attention, and trying to support their individuality and sense of connection. The range of services at Harris Hill means whether someone needs just a bit of rehab, help managing a complex health problem, or long-term assistance with daily activities, the care team's set up to provide support seven days a week from eight in the morning until eight at night, and the people living there see attentive care from folks who know what they're doing, which gives some peace of mind.

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