Williamsville nursing home facing nearly $40K in fines after resident left twice in one day

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Williamsville nursing home is facing nearly $40,000 in fines following a June incident in which a resident wandered out of the facility twice in one day, according to state documents.

Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at Williamsville, located on Reist Street, is facing the fines.

It comes after a resident with dementia and Alzheimer's left the facility twice on June 18.

According to documents, the resident left the facility around 4 a.m. by climbing out of a bedroom window with a pillowcase full of their belongings, before being spotted by a nurse near the parking lot and being brought back to their room a short time later.

The resident was placed on 15-minute checks, but the state said in the report that there is no evidence that the checks were completed. Sometime between 6:25 and 6:40 a.m., the resident again climbed out a bedroom window. This time, the resident waited until daylight, took a bus to a hospital and then got into a stranger's car, who took them to their healthcare proxy's house about 25 minutes away.

After being gone all day, the resident was returned to the facility a little before 5 p.m.

Based on corrections following the incident, the resident was placed in an assisted living facility in July. In addition, the facility secured windows in rooms of residents identified as risks to leave on their own. Several employees on duty that day received discipline and additional training.

The 142-bed facility has had over 135 complaints and 75 citations between November 2020 and October 2024, well above the state average.