Metairie Health Care: Infection Control Violations - LA
The violation occurred during a September 2nd observation at Metairie Health Care Center on Riverside Drive, where federal inspectors documented infection control failures that put vulnerable residents at risk.
Resident #2 required Enhanced Barrier Precautions due to medical conditions that made infection particularly dangerous. The resident's care plan, dating to August 2024, specifically required staff to wear gloves during all care activities.
A bright yellow sign posted outside the resident's room warned all providers and staff to wear gloves for high-contact care activities, including feeding tube maintenance.
Licensed Practical Nurse S17 ignored both warnings.
At 11:55 AM on September 2nd, inspectors watched S17 enter the resident's room without putting on gloves. She then removed the PEG tube dressing with her ungloved hand and threw it away.
Only after handling the soiled dressing did S17 put on gloves. But she skipped a critical step — washing her hands first.
The nurse cleaned the feeding tube site while wearing gloves, following proper procedure for that portion of the care. Then she removed her gloves and failed to wash her hands again.
Without gloves and without clean hands, S17 applied a fresh dressing to the resident's feeding tube site.
The facility's own policies, unchanged since December 2009, require employees to wash their hands before and after direct resident contact, before and after handling medical devices, after handling soiled dressings, and after removing gloves.
S17 violated every single requirement.
When confronted five minutes later, the nurse admitted her mistakes. She told inspectors she "did not wear gloves when she removed and replaced Resident #2's PEG tube dressing and did not perform hand hygiene after removing her gloves and should have."
The Director of Nursing confirmed the violations the next day, acknowledging that S17 "did not wear gloves and perform hand hygiene appropriately during PEG tube site care and should have."
PEG tubes create direct pathways into patients' stomachs, making proper infection control critical. The devices deliver nutrition, fluids, and medications to residents who cannot swallow safely, often including the facility's most medically fragile patients.
Enhanced Barrier Precautions exist specifically for residents with indwelling medical devices like feeding tubes, recognizing their heightened infection risk. The facility's undated policy explicitly requires gloves during high-contact care activities for these vulnerable residents.
Federal inspectors found the infection control failures during a complaint investigation, suggesting someone reported concerns about care quality at the 70-bed facility.
The violations occurred despite clear protocols posted visibly outside the resident's room and documented in their care plan for over a year.
Resident #2's physician had ordered specific care for the feeding tube site: cleanse with normal saline or wound cleanser, pat dry, apply a drain sponge, and secure with tape as needed. The medical orders made no exceptions for skipping basic infection control measures.
Inspectors observed care for two residents with indwelling devices during their visit. Half failed to receive proper infection control protocols.
The facility received a citation for failing to provide and implement an adequate infection prevention and control program, with inspectors noting minimal harm or potential for actual harm to residents.
But the violation reveals a troubling pattern: a nurse who knew the rules, acknowledged breaking them, and did so while caring for one of the facility's most vulnerable residents.
S17's supervisor confirmed she understood the proper procedures. The resident's care plan documented the requirements. The door sign reminded staff of their obligations.
The breakdown occurred not from lack of knowledge or unclear policies, but from a licensed medical professional choosing to skip basic safety measures during an invasive medical procedure.
For Resident #2, already requiring enhanced precautions due to medical vulnerability, the nurse's shortcuts created unnecessary infection risks during routine care that should have been the safest part of their day.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Metairie Health Care Center from 2025-09-03 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
Metairie Health Care Center in METAIRIE, LA was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 3, 2025.
Resident #2 required Enhanced Barrier Precautions due to medical conditions that made infection particularly dangerous.
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.