Failure to Maintain Required Indoor Temperatures on One Wing and in Dialysis Room
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain indoor temperatures within its policy range of 71–81°F, resulting in prolonged cold conditions on the XXX complex wing and in the dialysis room. During unit rounds, surveyors observed residents in the XXX complex hallway wearing multiple layers of clothing, hoodies, and zipped jackets, and staff, including the ADON, also wearing zipped sweaters and commenting that the hallway was cold. The Maintenance Director reported that the heating system on the XXX wing had been worked on in late November, which restored heat only to rooms on one side of the wing (odd-numbered rooms), while rooms on the opposite side (even-numbered rooms) continued to have heating issues. A CNA and an LPN both stated that the XXX wing was cold and that some resident rooms did not have proper heating. Temperature logs reviewed by surveyors showed multiple documented readings well below the facility’s required range, including temperatures of 63.9°F near one resident’s room, 62.1°F near another’s room, 63.2°F near a third resident’s room, and 60.1°F near two other residents’ rooms on various early-morning dates. On-site temperature checks by the Maintenance Director and surveyor in the XXX hallway and in specific resident rooms showed readings between 61.9°F and 62.2°F, which the Maintenance Director acknowledged were unacceptable and below the policy standard. In the dialysis room on the XXX complex wing, residents receiving dialysis were observed wrapped in multiple blankets, and the room temperature measured 62.2°F. Residents who received dialysis reported that the dialysis room was cold; one resident stated the cold made her body hurt and was very uncomfortable, another said it was so cold it made them angry, and another reported taking two blankets and covering their body and head because there was no heat in the dialysis room.
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