Improper Storage and Labeling of Food in Resident Snack Refrigerators
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to properly maintain resident snack refrigerators in two out of three locations. In the 100/200 Hall Resident Snack Refrigerator, staff personal items such as an LPN's lunch bag and a therapy department ice pack were stored alongside resident food items. Additionally, food items such as cartons of vanilla ice cream were found without proper labeling, including missing resident names, dates, or room numbers. The refrigerator had posted rules explicitly prohibiting staff food and requiring labeling of all open items, but these were not followed. The Physical Therapist confirmed the ice pack belonged to the Therapy Department and was unsure how it ended up in the resident refrigerator. In the 400 Hall Resident Snack Refrigerator, two bottles of soda were found labeled with initials and dates, but staff confirmed that no residents with those initials resided on that hall. The facility's policy required that food brought in by family or visitors be clearly labeled with the resident's name, the date brought in, and a discard date, and that staff monitor for food needing disposal. These requirements were not met, as evidenced by the incomplete labeling and presence of non-resident items in the refrigerators.