New Orleans Senior AdvisorJo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr. is a 180-bed Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home at 4502 General Meyer Avenue in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, holding Louisiana Department of Health nursing home license #2203782578. CMS gives Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr. an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars, based on CMS Care Compare data as of October 1, 2026.
What is Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr.'s CMS Care Compare rating?
CMS gives Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr. an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars; its health inspection rating is 4, staffing 3 and quality measures 2, each out of 5.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Overall rating (CMS) | 4 of 5 |
| Health inspection rating (CMS) | 4 of 5 |
| Staffing rating (CMS) | 3 of 5 |
| Quality measures rating (CMS) | 2 of 5 |
| Certified beds / average residents per day | 180 / 115.1 |
| Ownership type (CMS) | For profit - Corporation |
| Operator chain (CMS) | Priority Management (38 facilities nationally) |
| First certified for Medicare/Medicaid | August 19, 1986 |
| Louisiana license (LDH) | #2203782578, Licensed through 09/30/2027 |
| First licensed by Louisiana | August 19, 1986 |
| Administrator on the license | Blake Lipari |
On an average day it cares for about 115 residents, roughly 64% of its certified beds (below the 78% median across New Orleans-area nursing homes).
What deficiencies has CMS recorded at Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr.?
March 12, 2026 is the date of Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr.'s latest standard health inspection in CMS's data, and that cycle produced 5 cited deficiencies: 3 standard-survey and 2 complaint-related.
The prior rating cycle, with its standard survey on March 19, 2025, recorded 7 deficiencies. Infection-control inspections produced 0 citations. Across New Orleans-area nursing homes the median latest-cycle count is 5, so Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr. sits at or below the local middle.
CMS reports no fines and 0 payment denials in its three-year penalty window.
What do staffing and turnover look like at Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr.?
CMS's staffing data credits Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr. with 3.80 nurse hours per resident day, about the same as the New Orleans-area median of 3.83; RN time is 0.15 hours per resident day, lower than the New Orleans-area median of 0.24.
Weekend total nurse staffing runs 3.12 hours per resident per day. Total nursing-staff turnover is 37.5% (lower than the New Orleans-area median of 46.4%), and registered-nurse turnover is 20.0%. 0 administrators have left in the CMS measurement period.
Which nursing homes are closest to Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr.?
With 180 certified beds it is larger than the Orleans Parish median of 138 certified beds; the closest other certified nursing home is Willow Wood at Woldenberg Village in New Orleans, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line, rated 4 of 5 by CMS.
| Facility | Miles away | Licensed capacity | CMS overall rating | Last CMS health inspection | Deficiencies cited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Wood at Woldenberg Village 3701 Behrman Place, 70114 | 1.4 | 120 | 4 of 5 | July 1, 2026 | 5 |
| Our Lady of Wisdom Community Care Center 5600 General De Gaulle Drive, 70131 | 1.9 | 138 | 4 of 5 | June 17, 2026 | 3 |
| St. Jude 450A S Claiborne Ave, FL 6, 70112 | 4.5 | 116 | 1 of 5 | January 23, 2026 | 16 |
| Bayside Healthcare Center 3201 Wall Blvd., 70056 | 4.9 | 151 | 3 of 5 | September 17, 2025 | 4 |
| Lafon Nursing Facility of the Holy Family 6900 Chef Menteur Hwy, 70126 | 5.4 | 155 | 1 of 5 | August 27, 2025 | 13 |
Which hospitals are near Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr.?
Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr. sits in the Algiers & the West Bank of Orleans part of New Orleans; the nearest acute-care hospital on LDH's licensed roster is St. Bernard Parish Hospital, about 3.0 miles away by straight line.
The next closest is University Medical Center New Orleans at about 4.4 miles; distances use ZIP or CMS coordinates, not drive times.
Orleans Parish sits largely below sea level inside the federal hurricane levee system, so a storm plan here is as much about pumps, power and street flooding as about wind; federal rules require every certified nursing home to keep an emergency plan with evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures and an emergency power plan, so ask where residents went during the last evacuation.
What should families ask Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr. before choosing it?
Its public data points to specific questions: ask how Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr. kept its latest inspection at 5 deficiencies, and request the full statement of deficiencies anyway.
- Turnover of 37.5% is at or below the local median; ask who the long-tenured charge nurses are on nights.
- At about 64% occupancy, ask which units have openings and why.
- CMS records a resident council here; ask when it meets and whether families can attend.
- If Louisiana Medicaid will pay eventually, confirm Jo Ellen Smith Convalescent Ctr. accepts Medicaid for long-term stays, and how the $45 monthly Personal Care Needs Allowance is handled.
