Byron Health Center: Infection Control Failure - Fort Wayne, IN
Inspectors visiting Byron Health Center documented the same scene three days in a row. On March 25, 2026, at 10:11 in the morning, Resident 79 was sitting in his recliner with a urinal bottle, dated March 19, dangling from the side of the trash bin. They came back the next afternoon. It was still there. They returned the morning of March 27. Still there, this time alongside a glove, a plastic drinking cup, a folded piece of paper, and three paper towels sitting inside the same trash can.
Resident 79 had altered mental status and diabetes.
Later that same day, at 1:15 in the afternoon, inspectors found the urinal again, this time sitting on top of the resident's table, next to three remote controls and a piece of folded paper.
When inspectors spoke with the certified nursing assistant assigned to the room, she acknowledged the urinal hanging on the trash can was an infection control concern. She said she wasn't sure where else to put it. The table had things on it. Resident 79 went to the bathroom often, she explained, and liked to have the urinal close by. She said she would dump it and get a fresh one.
The Director of Nursing said staff were expected to clean used urinals and store them on the back of the toilet. She said this was the first time she had been made aware of the situation in Resident 79's room. She said the care plan should have documented if the resident had a preference for keeping the urinal nearby. It did not.
The facility's own policy, dated October 2010, was specific on this point. If a resident kept a urinal at bedside, staff were supposed to check it frequently, empty and clean it as needed, note the preference on the care plan, place it on a paper towel on the bedside stand, and cover it with a urinal cover or paper towel.
None of that happened. The care plan had no notation. The urinal wasn't covered. It wasn't on the bedside stand. It was hanging, full, on the side of a trash can for at least eight days before an inspector walked in.
The violation was cited at the minimal harm level, meaning regulators determined no actual injury resulted. That classification reflects what inspectors could document, not necessarily what a urine-filled container hanging inches from household trash, in the room of a resident with altered mental status, represents as an ongoing risk.
The nursing assistant's answer was the most honest thing in the record. She knew it was wrong. She didn't know where else to put it. The table was cluttered. So the urinal stayed where it was, day after day, while staff walked in and out of the room.
The Director of Nursing learned about it from an inspector.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Byron Health Center from 2026-03-31 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 19, 2026 · Our methodology
BYRON HEALTH CENTER in FORT WAYNE, IN was cited for violations during a health inspection on March 31, 2026.
Inspectors visiting Byron Health Center documented the same scene three days in a row.
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.