Heritage Care Center: Mice Droppings, Holes in Walls - MO
The droppings were found in room C10 near the foot of bed 2, where a one-inch hole in the corner exposed black, hair-like substance emerging from inside the wall. A pest control glue trap sat directly in front of another hole nearby, where the baseboard had been punctured through to the wall, leaving pieces of drywall scattered on the floor.
The September inspection revealed a pattern of neglect throughout the facility. Inspectors walking through resident rooms found floors so dirty and sticky that the sensation was immediately noticeable underfoot. In rooms A-10, A-7, and B-4, the sticky coating made normal movement difficult.
Room D-3 presented an even more troubling scene. Beyond the sticky floors, inspectors documented what appeared to be an opaque, dirty film coating the tiles near the doorway, creating a grimy barrier residents had to navigate daily.
The deterioration extended to basic safety systems. In room C7, the plastic cover for an overhead bed light lay loose on top of the fixture, leaving the light bulb completely exposed above where a resident slept. Near the beautician's office, a broken ceiling tile created a five-by-seven-inch gap that exposed electrical wires and the space above the ceiling.
Holes punctured walls throughout the resident areas. Room C9 featured a three-by-three-inch hole near the door, positioned about six inches from the floor, alongside two additional circular areas measuring two by two inches each. All exposed bare drywall underneath.
Room C6 showed a 14-by-4-inch unpainted section with two half-circle holes. Behind the door in room C1, inspectors found a 30-by-4-inch section of unpainted drywall mudding. Between rooms C1 and C3, a four-by-four-inch unpainted area revealed four half-inch holes in the hallway wall.
The facility's bathrooms presented their own catalog of problems. The shared bathroom between rooms C1 and C3 had missing baseboards along both doorways, creating an eight-by-four-inch hole in the wall behind room C1. Missing baseboards behind the toilet left additional gaps.
Another shared bathroom between rooms C5 and C7 showed baseboards pulled completely away from the wall along the C5 doorway, exposing crumbling drywall underneath. In the bathroom between rooms C10 and C12, the mirror showed chipped and cracked paint along its entire bottom length, marked with brown stains. The sink had pulled away from the wall, leaving cracked paint and caulk.
Basic maintenance appeared to have been abandoned in multiple areas. Room C9's air conditioning unit had separated from the wall, creating a two-inch gap. Room A-10's bathroom showed baseboards pulled out from the wall on the bottom left side, while plaster peeled away from the wall above the sink in the top right corner.
The maintenance assistant interviewed on September 8 explained that staff complete work order forms when repairs are needed, placing them in wall-mounted boxes at each hall entrance. He said he collects the forms each morning to address the issues.
Budget cuts had slowed the repair process significantly, he told inspectors. The supplies needed to make repairs were arriving slowly, leaving residents to live with deteriorating conditions.
The inspection occurred over multiple days, with inspectors returning to document the same problems persisting. On September 3, September 5, and September 9, the holes, missing baseboards, sticky floors, and exposed fixtures remained unchanged.
Room C12 contained four additional half-inch holes in the wall near bed 1. Room C10 had a two-by-two-inch hole behind the door, in addition to the area where mouse droppings were found.
The facility's 105 residents continued living in rooms where basic maintenance had failed. Paint peeled from bathroom walls, baseboards separated from their moorings, and holes provided entry points for rodents that left their droppings near where people slept.
Federal inspectors classified the violations as causing minimal harm or potential for actual harm to some residents. The problems affected resident areas throughout the building, creating an environment that fell far short of the safe, clean, comfortable conditions required by federal regulations.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Heritage Care Center from 2025-09-09 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
HERITAGE CARE CENTER in SAINT LOUIS, MO was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 9, 2025.
The September inspection revealed a pattern of neglect throughout the facility.
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.