LOS ANGELES, CA - Federal inspectors found serious violations at Avalon Villa Care Center involving security breaches, medication management failures, and dietary safety issues during a January 2025 inspection, putting multiple residents at risk.
Former Resident Creates Security Crisis with Knife
The most alarming violation occurred when a former resident twice trespassed on facility grounds, including one incident where he entered with a large knife. Resident 117, who had been discharged after failing to return from approved leave, gained unauthorized entry to the facility using a staff-only gate code that administrators failed to change between incidents.
On the morning of November 9, 2024, Resident 117 arrived by bicycle and entered through a back door after being discharged the previous day. Staff called law enforcement, and he was escorted from the premises. However, later that afternoon, he returned with two unidentified individuals and entered through the staff entrance while "brandishing a large knife" and "yelling expletives," according to inspection records. Despite staff calling law enforcement again, officers never arrived at the scene.
The facility's own administrator acknowledged this created "an unsafe environment" and that "facility staff and residents were in fear." Federal regulations require nursing homes to report incidents affecting resident welfare and safety to state agencies within 24 hours, but the facility failed to make this notification despite the immediate danger posed to all residents and staff.
The security breach was compounded by the facility's failure to change the staff gate access code between the two trespassing incidents, allowing the former resident continued unauthorized access to the premises. This represents a fundamental breakdown in basic security protocols that are essential for protecting vulnerable nursing home residents.
Critical Medication Administration Failures
Inspectors identified multiple serious medication management violations that jeopardized resident health and safety. The most concerning involved Resident 115, who was prescribed intravenous antibiotic therapy for a prostate infection but repeatedly missed scheduled doses due to staff negligence.
Resident 115 was prescribed Meropenem, a powerful antibiotic, to be administered intravenously every eight hours. However, inspection records show he missed 16 scheduled doses over a three-week period in January 2025. On one occasion, nursing staff told the resident they couldn't find the keys to the medication cart, preventing him from receiving his 2:00 a.m. dose.
"I was concerned that the antibiotic medication was not going to help me because I did not receive it consistently," Resident 115 told inspectors. Medical research shows that inconsistent antibiotic administration can lead to treatment failure and the development of antibiotic-resistant infections.
The facility also failed to properly monitor Resident 115's IV site as ordered. His IV dressing, which should be changed every 5-7 days according to facility policy, remained unchanged for 20 days despite the resident's requests to nursing staff. The dressing had become discolored and soiled, creating infection risks.
Beyond individual cases, inspectors found systematic failures in controlled substance management. In one medication cart, they discovered a discrepancy in lorazepam counts, with nursing staff admitting they had failed to immediately document medication administration as required by federal law.
Respiratory Equipment Safety Violations
The facility failed to maintain proper safety protocols for residents receiving oxygen therapy. Inspectors found that nasal cannula tubing for three residents was undated, making it impossible to determine when equipment should be replaced for infection control. Additionally, tubing was observed touching the floor, creating contamination risks.
Most concerning was the absence of required "Oxygen in Use" signs outside patient rooms. These warnings are critical fire safety measures, as oxygen creates an explosive environment if exposed to heat sources or smoking materials. Without proper signage, visitors, staff, and other residents might unknowingly create dangerous situations.
Dietary and Nutritional Safety Concerns
The facility's food service operations revealed multiple violations that could impact resident health. Kitchen equipment, including ovens and steam tables, had accumulated dried food debris and stains, creating conditions that could harbor harmful bacteria and attract pests.
Food storage violations included nutritional supplements that weren't properly dated after thawing, expired pasta stored in dry storage, and unpasteurized eggs used for undercooked preparations despite facility policies requiring pasteurized eggs for such dishes. These practices create serious food safety risks for elderly residents whose immune systems may be compromised.
The facility also failed to ensure residents received mechanically altered diets as prescribed. Multiple residents with swallowing difficulties received food textures that didn't match their medical orders, creating choking and aspiration risks. One resident prescribed pureed foods received mechanically soft items, while another resident on a mechanical soft diet was served a toasted burrito with crispy edges.
Staff Competency and Training Failures
Perhaps most troubling was the discovery that the facility failed to conduct required competency evaluations for nursing staff. Five employees, including registered nurses and certified nursing assistants, had no documented skills assessments on file, despite regulations requiring evaluations upon hire and annually thereafter.
The facility's Social Services Director lacked the required educational qualifications, holding a bachelor's degree in applied management rather than the mandated degree in social work or human services. This individual admitted to having no experience in healthcare social work, potentially compromising the psychosocial support available to residents.
Medical Context and Risk Assessment
These violations create cascading health risks for nursing home residents. Inconsistent antibiotic administration can lead to treatment failure, prolonged infections, and the development of resistant bacterial strains. Poor infection control practices increase transmission risks in congregate living settings where vulnerable populations are housed together.
Respiratory equipment contamination can cause pneumonia and other serious lung infections in residents who already have compromised breathing capacity. Dietary violations pose risks ranging from foodborne illness to malnutrition, particularly dangerous for elderly residents whose recovery capacity is limited.
Security breaches in healthcare facilities create trauma and anxiety among residents and staff while potentially exposing vulnerable individuals to physical harm. The presence of an armed individual in a nursing home environment represents an extreme safety failure.
Additional Issues Identified
Inspectors documented numerous other violations including improper medication storage, failure to obtain informed consent for bed rail use, inadequate physician visit documentation, and contaminated water pitcher storage systems. The facility also failed to follow standardized recipes and provided incorrect meal substitutions without dietitian approval.
The cumulative effect of these violations demonstrates systemic quality issues that extend across all aspects of resident care and safety at Avalon Villa Care Center.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Avalon Villa Care Center from 2025-01-31 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
💬 Join the Discussion
Comments are moderated. Please keep discussions respectful and relevant to nursing home care quality.