Failure to Maintain Sanitary and Safe Physical Environment
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified multiple failures by the facility to maintain a safe, functional, sanitary, and comfortable physical environment for residents, staff, and the public. During a facility tour, 16 resident rooms were found with various deficiencies, including black biological growth under toilet rims, dark stains inside toilet bowls, black biological film on window rails, dead and live cockroaches, dirty and torn floor mats, dust buildup on vents, water-damaged ceilings with biological growth, missing door thresholds with exposed screws, stained and damaged walls, holes around plumbing, broken floor tiles, and full garbage cans. Additional issues included dirty wash bins, used urinals left on floors, brown-colored scratches on toilet seats, and missing floorboards. An industrial-sized fan in a hallway was covered in dirt and dust, and a wheelchair stored in a hallway was found with food particles and damaged wheels. Interviews with staff and review of facility documentation revealed that these environmental concerns were not reported through maintenance work orders, and daily housekeeping procedures outlined in facility policy were not consistently followed. The Director of Housekeeping and the Administrator confirmed that the observed issues should have been addressed by staff as part of their daily responsibilities. The lack of adherence to cleaning and maintenance protocols resulted in unsanitary and unsafe conditions affecting 40 out of 117 residents.