Southside Care Center: Privacy Violations - MN
Federal inspectors found the unsecured documents at Southside Care Center on April 1, discovering binders containing personal and medical information for all patients left accessible in the facility's most public space.
"This is personal information," an inspector noted while observing five residents eating in the dining room where the records remained exposed.
The director of nursing acknowledged the violation during a morning interview. "We are not to disclose or display personal information such as name, medical information and address unless we get approval," she told inspectors at 9:38 a.m.
She confirmed the dining room binders "contain private personal and medical information for all our patients. It should not be out in the open. That stuff should be out of the dining room. Everyone comes down here for meals and visitors too. This is a very public space for all people to come and go."
The administrator echoed the concern hours later. "Private information should not be left out in the open. It should be filed away into the computer or downstairs filing cabinet," the administrator said during a 2:52 p.m. interview. "The med lists and pharmacy order forms and all that information in the dining room is not private and can be seen by anyone who wants to look. It is not secured."
Residents expressed anger and concern when inspectors asked about the privacy breach.
"No one should see my personal information unless I want them too," said one resident identified as R11. "My identity is my own and no one's business to snoop or see my health care stuff."
Another resident worried about identity theft. "My health care information is my own. No one has the right to look at it," R9 told inspectors. "I would be upset if my personal information was out in the open for anyone to see. That is how identity theft occurs."
R6 expressed the strongest reaction: "It would make me very, very angry if anyone were able to see my private information like diagnosis and meds. That ain't right."
The facility's own policies prohibited exactly what inspectors discovered. A 2014 policy on Protected Health Information stated it was "the responsibility of all personnel who have access to resident and facility information to ensure that such information is managed and protected to prevent unauthorized release or disclosure."
The nursing home's Release of Information policy, dating to 2009, promised residents "confidential treatment of his or her personal and medical records." The policy specified that access to medical records "would be limited to the staff and consultants providing services to the residents."
Medical records were supposed to be "maintained in the medical records department and should be available only to authorized personnel," including nursing staff, physicians, consultants, dietary and activities staff, social services, administrators, government agencies, and residents or their representatives.
Instead, the sensitive information sat openly in binders where any visitor, family member, or passerby could access medication lists, diagnoses, and personal details of vulnerable residents.
The violation occurred in the facility's central gathering place. The dining room serves as the primary location where residents eat meals three times daily and where family members and other visitors regularly come and go throughout the day.
Federal inspectors classified the privacy breach as causing "minimal harm or potential for actual harm" and affecting "some" residents. The inspection took place on April 6, with interviews conducted over two days as staff and residents described how private medical information remained accessible to unauthorized individuals in one of the nursing home's most trafficked areas.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Southside Care Center from 2026-04-06 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
Southside Care Center in MINNEAPOLIS, MN was cited for violations during a health inspection on April 6, 2026.
"This is personal information," an inspector noted while observing five residents eating in the dining room where the records remained exposed.
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.