Nursing home
Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center
4502 General Meyer Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70131 · Map
For profit - Corporation · Part of Priority Management (38 facilities) · 108 certified beds
Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center is a Medicare-certified nursing home in New Orleans, Louisiana. CMS rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall (2/5 for staffing, 4/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 3.53 hours per resident per day, below the Louisiana average of 3.81. Its most recent inspection on Mar 19, 2025 cited 6 deficiencies.
- 1 fine totaling $5,055In CMS records: 1 total penalty.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center compares
This facility vs. the Louisiana and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | Louisiana avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 3.53 | 3.81 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.11 | 0.32 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.06 | 2.32 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 38.8% | 48.0% | 46.4% | below avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 6.0 | 8.3 | 9.5 | below avg |
Staffing
Hours per resident per day as reported to CMS. Higher numbers indicate more direct care time.
Staff turnover
Lower turnover typically indicates better working conditions and continuity of care. National average for nursing staff is 46.4%.
Recent health inspection
CMS inspects nursing facilities regularly. Deficiencies are categorized by severity.
- Every deficiency from the March 12, 2026 inspection was corrected by April 3, 2026
Penalties in CMS records: 1 fine totaling $5,055, 1 total penalty.
What inspectors found at Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Potential for harm
Honor the resident's right to request, refuse, and/or discontinue treatment, to participate in or refuse to participate in experimental research, and to formulate an advance directive.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Mar 12, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Mar 12, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide appropriate care for a resident to maintain and/or improve range of motion (ROM), limited ROM and/or mobility, unless a decline is for a medical reason.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Mar 12, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Jan 15, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Minimal
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Jan 15, 2026 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Aug 5, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Mar 19, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that feeding tubes are not used unless there is a medical reason and the resident agrees; and provide appropriate care for a resident with a feeding tube.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Mar 19, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Mar 19, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Sep 5, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Mar 7, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Dec 14, 2023 · Full report (PDF)
Read the full inspection reports on Medicare.gov Each inspection there has a “Read the full report” link with the inspectors’ written findings.
About this facility
- Address
- 4502 General Meyer Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70131 - CMS certification #
- 195204
- Ownership
- For profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 108
- Avg residents/day
- 129.1
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1986-08-19
- Chain
- Priority Management (38 facilities)
- Setting
- Urban
Part of Priority Management
Priority Management operates 38 nursing facilities across the United States. View all Priority Management facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center using Google Maps.
Other public records
Full public records, with dates and sources
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- St Bernard Parish Hospital, Chalmette. 2.0 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 4 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Willow Wood at Woldenberg Village, New Orleans. 1.4 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Acts Home Health Care, Inc., Gretna. 2.3 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Walmart Pharmacy. 2.2 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 70131 as metropolitan (metropolitan core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Ochsner Kidney Care - Algiers, New Orleans, 1.0 mile away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Fkc - Algiers, New Orleans, 1.2 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Davita Westbank Chronic Renal Center, New Orleans, 1.3 miles away, straight line (has a shift starting after 5 pm; CMS rating 3 of 5 stars) - Hospice
- 19 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 70131.
Heart Of Hospice, office in Gretna, 3.3 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 4 of 5 stars)
Anvoi Hospice, office in Metairie, 9.4 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 5 of 5 stars)
Gulf South Hospice Of New Orleans, office in Metairie, 9.5 miles away, straight line - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Louisiana State University School Of Medicine In New Orleans Faculty G, New Orleans. 4.7 miles away, straight line. 3 geriatric medicine doctors listed there.
Distances are straight lines from the community, not driving distance. Hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors come from CMS provider data (CMS, hospital list updated Jul 22, 2026). Star ratings are CMS’s own.
Emergency and natural hazard risk
Public hazard maps for this location. Ask the community about its emergency plan, its generator and where residents would go in an evacuation.
- Flood zone
- Zone X: 0.2% annual chance (500-year) flood area (moderate risk). (FEMA flood map)
- FEMA National Risk Index
- Overall: relatively high. By hazard: hurricane very high, inland flooding relatively moderate, coastal flooding relatively low, tornado relatively low, heat wave relatively moderate, earthquake very low. These are FEMA’s ratings for the census tract, compared with tracts nationwide. (FEMA, December 2025)
A flood zone describes the map at this point, not the building's elevation. In an emergency, follow the local emergency management agency.
What we checked
Every public source we searched for this community. “Nothing on record” means we found no record that matched it. A record can be missed when a name or address differs.
| Source | Data as of | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour cases | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| OSHA workplace safety inspections since 2016 | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| FEMA flood map | See above | |
| USDA wildfire risk | Apr 15, 2026 | Not shown: no FEMA wildfire rating of moderate or higher here |
| FEMA National Risk Index | See above | |
| CMS hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors; OpenStreetMap pharmacies | See above | |
| HUD Multifamily Properties - Assisted | Jul 6, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| State Veterans Homes (NASVH directory) | Sep 20, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Hospice - General Information | Aug 19, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Home Health Care Agencies | May 27, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| The community’s own website | Could not read the site |
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Frequently asked questions
Is Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center a good nursing home?
CMS gives Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars, including 2/5 for staffing and 4/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center staffed?
Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center reports 3.53 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Louisiana average of 3.81.
Has Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 6 deficiencies.
How many beds does Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center have?
Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Center is certified for 108 beds.