Embassy of Wyoming Valley: Catheter Left on Floor - PA
That is what federal inspectors documented at Embassy of Wyoming Valley, a nursing home at 50 N. Pennsylvania Ave., during a health inspection completed March 14, 2025. The finding was straightforward and the facility's own staff confirmed it: a Foley catheter drainage bag belonging to a resident with serious urinary conditions had been left in direct contact with the floor on at least two separate occasions, creating what inspectors described as an increased risk for contamination and infection.
The resident, identified in inspection records only as Resident 36, had been admitted to the facility with neuromuscular dysfunction of the bladder, a condition in which damaged nerves impair the ability to empty or control the bladder, and benign prostatic hyperplasia, an enlargement of the prostate gland that compounds urination difficulty. Nursing documentation from January 9, 2025, confirmed the resident had arrived at the facility already dependent on a Foley catheter, a flexible tube inserted through the urinary opening into the bladder that continuously drains urine into a collection bag.
The bag is supposed to be kept off the floor. It was not.
On March 11, 2025, at 8:25 in the evening, an inspector found Resident 36 resting in bed with the urine collection bag lying on its side directly on the floor. The bag was not in a holder, not elevated, not secured. It was on the floor of a nursing home room.
That observation alone was enough to document a violation. But inspectors returned.
On March 13, 2025, at 8:25 in the morning, the bag was on the floor again. Nearly 36 hours had passed between the two observations. At some point the bag may have been moved, but by the time inspectors looked again, nothing had changed in any meaningful way. The same resident, the same catheter, the same bag, the same floor.
A Foley catheter that drains into a bag lying on the floor is not a minor inconvenience. Residents who depend on indwelling catheters are already at elevated risk for urinary tract infections, a category of infection that, in elderly and medically compromised patients, can escalate into serious systemic illness. A drainage bag in contact with a floor, where bacteria accumulate, creates a direct pathway for contamination to travel back toward the patient.
When inspectors interviewed the facility's Infection Preventionist on March 14, 2025, the response was unambiguous. The Infection Preventionist confirmed that the facility had failed to maintain Resident 36's Foley catheter in a manner that would prevent the potential for urinary tract infections. The Infection Preventionist also acknowledged that the facility had failed to uphold appropriate infection control techniques for a resident with an indwelling catheter.
There was no dispute about what happened. The person at the facility whose specific job involves preventing the spread of infection said, on the record, that infection control had failed.
The deficiency was cited at a level of minimal harm or potential for actual harm, affecting some residents. That classification reflects the inspection framework's assessment of what occurred, not a judgment that the lapse was trivial. For a resident whose underlying diagnoses already make urinary complications more likely, a catheter bag on the floor is not an abstract risk.
Embassy of Wyoming Valley did not respond to a request for comment. For information on the facility's plan to correct the deficiency, CMS directs the public to contact the nursing home or the Pennsylvania state survey agency directly.
Resident 36 remained at the facility. Whether the drainage bag has since been properly secured, inspectors did not say.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Embassy of Wyoming Valley from 2025-03-14 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Corrections: We strive for accuracy in everything we publish. If you believe any fact in this article is incorrect, please contact us with details, and we will review and correct it promptly.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: November 5, 2026 · Our methodology
EMBASSY OF WYOMING VALLEY in WILKES BARRE, PA was cited for violations during a health inspection on March 14, 2025.
That is what federal inspectors documented at Embassy of Wyoming Valley, a nursing home at 50 N.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.