Hillside Health Care Center: Hygiene and Meal Failures - MO
Inspectors from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services visited the facility at 1265 McLaran Avenue in April and documented what they found across multiple days of observation. The picture that emerged was not a single bad afternoon. It was the same resident, the same shirt, the same jeans, morning after morning.
On April 19, inspectors noted the resident's messy hair, long yellow fingernails, and stained clothing. The resident said the nails needed to be cut. The next morning, April 20, the same shirt and jeans. April 21, same shirt and jeans. The resident told inspectors that morning that he wanted his clothes changed. April 22, same shirt and jeans.
A care plan note from March 17 had documented that the resident needed a haircut, a shave, and nail trimming. The resident had asked for more shirts, pants, and socks. Staff noted they would follow up. The inspection record shows no documentation that bathing assistance was ever provided, and no documentation that the resident had refused it.
On the morning of April 23, a certified nursing assistant identified in the report as CNA AA told inspectors that most residents on the floor did not have clothes. With the elevators down, laundry staff had stopped bringing clothing up to the residents. "At this time, the resident does not have clothes," CNA AA said.
A second CNA, identified as CNA L, checked the shower schedule at the nurses' station during the interview and found the resident was listed for showers on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Whether those showers had been happening was not documented.
The second case inspectors flagged involved a resident with a considerably heavier medical burden: diabetes, muscle weakness, chronic kidney disease, dementia, depression, heart failure, and reduced mobility. The resident's care plan required supervision during meals. The resident's MDS assessment noted severe cognitive impairment.
On the afternoon of April 19, inspectors found this resident lying in bed, a tray of untouched food sitting on a bedside table pushed out of reach. Nobody was in the room.
The next morning, April 20, inspectors returned twice. At 7:48 a.m., the resident was in bed, reaching for a drink on the bedside table to the right. He could not reach it. The privacy curtain was pulled. The room door was closed. At 8:44 a.m., a plate of breakfast sat on the resident's lap, but the drinks on the side table were again positioned out of reach. The curtain was still pulled. The door was still closed.
CNA L told inspectors the resident sometimes needed encouragement to come to the dining room and preferred eating in his room. CNA L said staff were expected to supervise the resident during meals.
The administrator and director of nursing, interviewed together on April 24, said staff should supervise the resident during meals if the care plan and MDS indicated it. They said they expected staff to make sure bedside tables, food, and drinks were within reach.
The care plan had indicated it. The MDS had indicated it. On at least two separate mornings, nobody had made sure.
The inspection was a complaint survey, meaning someone had contacted regulators before inspectors arrived. CMS rated the harm in both deficiencies as minimal harm or potential for actual harm, affecting few residents. That rating reflects regulatory classification. It does not reflect what the resident with dementia and heart failure was doing alone behind a closed door, reaching for a drink he could not get to.
The facility's plan of correction was not included in the inspection materials reviewed. Inspectors completed the survey on April 24, 2026.
A month earlier, in March, staff had written down that the first resident needed a haircut, a shave, and new clothes. He was still wearing the same stained shirt five weeks later when federal inspectors walked in.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Hillside Health Care Center from 2026-04-24 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.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: August 15, 2026 · Our methodology
HILLSIDE HEALTH CARE CENTER in SAINT LOUIS, MO was cited for violations during a health inspection on April 24, 2026.
The picture that emerged was not a single bad afternoon.
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.