Failure to Maintain Clean and Sanitary Air Vents Throughout Facility
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a clean and sanitary environment on all three units observed, affecting 65 residents. During a facility tour, multiple air vents were found to be covered with numerous grey clumps of dust, including those above the 200 hall nurses' station, near the 300-hall entrance, and near a resident room. Further observation revealed pencil eraser-sized grey clumps on the vented cover of a return air duct above the hallway near the east nurses' station, and when the Maintenance Director opened the cover, clumps of dust fell onto the nurses' station counter and floor. The filter inside the return air duct, dated 3/26/25, was visibly covered in dust. Interviews with the Maintenance Director and Administrator confirmed that filters and vent covers were scheduled for monthly cleaning, and that the area in question typically accumulated significant dust due to its proximity to the residents' smoking area and high traffic. Facility policy required monthly cleaning of exhaust fans and removal of dust from vents.