THERMOPOLIS, WY - Federal health inspectors identified accident hazard deficiencies at Thermopolis Rehabilitation and Wellness during a standard health inspection conducted on November 20, 2025, citing the facility for failing to maintain a safe environment and provide adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Facility Cited for Safety Environment Failures
The inspection resulted in a citation under federal regulatory tag F0689, which requires nursing homes to ensure that facility areas remain free from accident hazards and that staff provide adequate supervision to prevent accidents from occurring.
Inspectors classified the deficiency at Scope/Severity Level D, indicating an isolated incident where no actual harm was documented but where there was potential for more than minimal harm to residents. This classification sits on the lower end of the federal enforcement scale but still represents a meaningful gap in resident safety protocols.
The accident hazard citation was one of three total deficiencies identified during the inspection, pointing to multiple areas where the facility fell short of federal standards.
Why Accident Hazard Citations Matter in Nursing Homes
Accident prevention in long-term care facilities is a foundational element of resident safety. Nursing home residents are among the most vulnerable populations when it comes to environmental hazards. Many residents have limited mobility, cognitive impairment, or take medications that affect balance and alertness.
Common accident hazards in nursing facilities include wet floors without proper signage, cluttered walkways, improperly maintained equipment, inadequate lighting, and unsecured furniture. When these hazards go unaddressed, the consequences can be significant. Falls alone account for approximately 1,800 deaths annually in U.S. nursing homes, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Adequate supervision is equally critical. Staffing levels and staff attentiveness directly affect whether hazards are identified and corrected before a resident is injured. Federal regulations require facilities to conduct regular environmental assessments and address identified risks promptly.
Federal Standards for Safe Facility Environments
Under the federal requirements of participation for Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing homes, facilities must implement a comprehensive approach to accident prevention. This includes conducting routine safety rounds, maintaining clear and accessible pathways, ensuring all equipment is in proper working order, and training staff to recognize and report environmental hazards.
Facilities are also expected to assess each resident's individual risk factors — including fall history, medication side effects, mobility limitations, and cognitive status — and develop personalized care plans that address those risks through appropriate supervision levels and environmental modifications.
When a facility receives an F0689 citation, it indicates that inspectors found evidence the facility did not meet these baseline expectations. Even at the D-level severity, the citation signals that the facility's safety systems had a gap that could have resulted in resident harm under different circumstances.
Correction Plan and Timeline
Thermopolis Rehabilitation and Wellness submitted a plan of correction following the inspection and reported that the identified deficiency was corrected as of November 28, 2025 — eight days after the inspection date. The facility's correction plan outlines the steps taken to address the specific hazard identified and measures implemented to prevent recurrence.
A plan of correction does not constitute an admission of fault by the facility but is a required response when deficiencies are cited during a federal inspection.
Broader Context for Wyoming Nursing Home Oversight
Federal health inspections of nursing homes are conducted by state survey agencies under contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. These inspections evaluate compliance across hundreds of regulatory requirements covering resident care, safety, staffing, administration, and quality of life.
Facilities that receive citations must address deficiencies within specified timeframes or face potential enforcement actions, which can range from monetary penalties to restrictions on new admissions.
The full inspection report for Thermopolis Rehabilitation and Wellness, including details on all three deficiencies cited during the November 2025 inspection, is available through the CMS Care Compare database. Residents, families, and members of the public can review the complete findings and the facility's correction plans to better understand the scope of identified issues.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Thermopolis Rehabilitation and Wellness from 2025-11-20 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
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