Failure to Maintain a Safe and Sanitary Therapy Environment Due to Mold-Contaminated Vents
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to provide a safe, functional, sanitary, and comfortable environment in the primary therapy room, where black, spotty substance consistent with mold was observed on four air vents and the surrounding ceiling. During an observation, surveyors noted this substance in the primary therapy room, which was actively being used for resident therapy. The facility’s own mold report documented that the physical therapy room had visible mold growth around the vents on the ceiling and that ductwork testing showed heavy mold spore populations. The report also stated that employees working in that room had reported irritation to skin and other symptoms that may be caused by mold exposure. Two residents who regularly used the primary therapy room were observed receiving services directly underneath vents and ceiling areas with the black, spotty substance. One resident, a male with a history of spinal stenosis of the cervical region, weakness, unsteadiness on feet, gait abnormalities, and hemiplegia/hemiparesis following a cerebral infarction, had a BIMS score of 15 indicating normal cognition and received therapy services at least 15 minutes a day on one or more days in the last 7 days. He was observed using a SciFit machine directly under the affected vent and ceiling area and reported using the primary therapy room at least once a day, though he had not noticed the substance because he did not often look up. Another resident, a male with diagnoses including nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage, hemiplegia/hemiparesis affecting the right dominant side, muscle weakness, and unsteadiness on feet, had a BIMS score of 13 indicating normal cognition and also received therapy services at least 15 minutes a day on one or more days in the last 7 days. He was observed completing a puzzle at a table directly underneath a vent and ceiling area with the black substance and reported entering the primary therapy room daily, but stated he had never looked up to see it. Staff interviews and record review showed that facility leadership and therapy staff were aware of environmental issues in the primary therapy room but continued to allow resident use of the space. The Director of Rehab stated that someone had come to the facility months earlier, that they were instructed not to use the air conditioning or heat in that room, and that residents were to be brought to a separate therapy area when it was too hot or too cold. He reported that a wall unit was later installed to regulate temperature and believed it was safe because no air was going through the vents. The PT and PTA both reported being instructed around December not to use the main air system in the therapy room due to a water leak and inability to use the vented air system, and that a new window or wall unit had recently been installed; the PTA stated the vents had looked black, brown, and dusty since December and their appearance had not changed. The ADON was aware the air system was not working but unaware of further issues, while the DON acknowledged there had been talk of mold, that therapy had been moved to a separate area, and believed the vents were recently cleaned, though she was unsure if the substance was mold. The Administrator reported waiting on bids to repair the therapy area, planned to remove and replace the venting system, and knew the substance had been tested but could not provide who had deemed the room safe for resident use. The regional director of maintenance confirmed test results showing penicillin, aspergillus, and another fungus in the vents and ceiling and stated he would not want his family receiving therapy under those conditions. The facility’s own mold report recommended that the HVAC system not be operated until the ductwork was cleaned and remediated and described required containment and access restrictions for remediation, while the facility’s Homelike Environment policy required a clean, sanitary, and orderly environment. Despite this, the primary therapy room with visible mold growth on vents and ceiling remained in use for resident therapy. A review of facility records cross-referencing residents with pneumonia in the last six months and residents receiving therapy services showed no residents who had received therapy in the front therapy room had been diagnosed with pneumonia. Residents observed in the room did not have observable skin irritation or respiratory issues and denied experiencing such symptoms. However, the mold assessment report documented that the ductwork had heavy mold spore populations and that employees working in the room had reported irritation to skin and other symptoms that may be caused by mold exposure. The mold assessment consultant later stated that most typical mold spores in the area were low, with the air duct being the exception, and that the facility was obtaining quotes for remediation work. The facility’s continued use of the primary therapy room for resident services, despite visible mold growth on vents and ceilings, documented heavy mold spore populations in ductwork, and internal acknowledgment of suspected mold and the need for remediation, constituted the failure to maintain a safe, functional, sanitary, and comfortable environment as required by facility policy and regulatory standards.
Penalty
Resources
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A large-screen TV in the secured unit dining room was playing a loud, violent movie during meals, with screaming, gunfire, crying, and dark scenes visible to residents seated nearby. Two residents with dementia-related cognitive impairment and behavioral issues were directly affected; one became angry and complained the TV was too loud and too dark, while another repeatedly turned off the lights and struck out at an NA when blocked. An LPN, RN, AD, and DON stated the programming was not appropriate for residents with dementia and could increase anxiety or agitation.
Dirty G-tube Pump and Room Floor: A resident with Parkinson’s disease, DM, and impaired cognition was observed sleeping in bed while connected to a turned-off G-tube pump that had visible dried milk residue, and the room floor also had visible dried milk residue. A CNA confirmed the pump and floor were dirty, and an LVN stated food or milk drippings should be cleaned right away. RN review showed the care plan called for a safe environment with a floor free from spills and clutter, and the facility did not follow its cleaning and disinfection policy.
Unsafe and Poorly Maintained Environment: A hole in the ceiling on Hall 100, a detached baseboard in a shower room on Hall 300, dim lighting in the secure unit dining room, and a leaking kitchen ceiling were observed in the LTC facility. Staff and management interviews showed the issues were known or reported inconsistently, and maintenance logs did not document several of the problems. The kitchen leak was being collected in a pot near the food prep area, and the DM stated the kitchen leaked when it rained.
Unsafe and nonfunctional bathroom fixtures were observed on two nursing units and in one resident room. A resident reported a broken faucet, and staff observed a replacement knob that wiggled and did not work properly. In one shower room, the hot and cold indicators were reversed, and in another shower room, the drain cover was missing.
Unsafe and Unclean Unit Environment: The 200 unit had marred walls, chipped door trim, a large hole in a resident room wall, missing drywall near the offices, and dirt buildup on baseboards, floors, and around the elevator. The dining room and elevator area also had debris buildup, and the elevator door frame wrap was hanging off on both sides. An HSKP staff member stated the facility was down a housekeeper and floors should be cleaned daily.
Unsafe resident room conditions were identified when multiple rooms had nonfunctional A/C units, temperatures above 81 degrees, and unsealed openings around replacement units. A resident with paraplegia, polyneuropathy, chronic pain, and TBI reported living in a room without working A/C for weeks, while staff said several rooms had been hot for months and administration knew about the issue. Surveyors also observed biological growth inside one A/C unit and on a ceiling tile above a sink in a room occupied by a resident with respiratory concerns.
Loud Violent TV Programming in Secured Unit Dining Area
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a calm, comfortable, low-stimulation environment on the secured unit by allowing loud, violent television programming to be played in the common dining area. During observation, a large-screen television was placed in the center of the dining room with residents seated directly in front of and beside it, and the volume was very loud. The movie contained dark scenes that were difficult to see unless seated directly in front of the screen, along with loud screaming, hollering, gunfire, crying, and weeping throughout the program. Two residents reviewed for quality of life were directly affected by the environment. R2 had moderate cognitive impairment and diagnoses including hemiplegia, generalized anxiety disorder, mild neurocognitive disorder, and cerebral infarction. R2’s care plan identified mood and behavior alterations, a history of agitation, verbal behaviors, resident-to-resident altercations, and profanity, with interventions including redirection to a quiet area, offering music with headphones, and maintaining a consistent environment. While seated near the dining room/common area, R2 angrily stated the television was too loud and too dark to see or follow, repeatedly expressed frustration with the programming, and said the staff were "so fucking stupid" and that he needed to leave the facility. R46 had moderate cognitive impairment and diagnoses including dysphagia, restlessness, agitation, seizures, and anxiety. R46’s care plan identified altered mood and behaviors and included redirecting the resident to the day room to watch television. During the evening meal, the same loud violent movie was playing while about twelve residents ate in the dining room. R46 repeatedly wheeled to the light switch and turned the lights off, causing several residents to shout for the lights to be turned back on; after staff restored the lights, R46 turned them off again and then struck out at a nursing assistant when blocked. Staff interviews stated the movie was not appropriate for residents with dementia, could contribute to anxiety and agitation, and did not create a low-stimulation environment.
Dirty G-tube Pump and Room Floor
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a safe, clean, comfortable, sanitary, and home-like environment for Resident 17 by not keeping the resident’s G-tube pump free of dried milk residue and not keeping the flooring in the resident’s room free of dried milk residue. Resident 17 was admitted on 8/8/2025 with diagnoses including Parkinson’s disease, diabetes mellitus, and lack of coordination. The resident’s MDS dated 4/9/2026 indicated moderately impaired cognitive skills for daily decision-making and that the resident needed partial to moderate assistance with personal hygiene and sit-to-stand. During an observation in the resident’s room on 6/29/2026 at 9:27 AM, Resident 17 was sleeping in bed and connected to a G-tube pump that was turned off. The pump had visible dried milk drippings, and the room flooring also had visible dried milk drippings. During a later observation and interview, a CNA stated that the G-tube pump was dirty with visible dry milk on it and that there was dried milk on the floor. An LVN stated that the G-tube pump and floor were supposed to always be clean and that food or milk drippings should be cleaned right away for safety and infection control. RN 1 reviewed the care plan and facility policies and stated the care plan called for keeping the resident’s environment safe with a floor free from spills and clutter, and that the facility did not follow its policy for cleaning and disinfecting resident care equipment.
Unsafe and Poorly Maintained Environment
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a safe, functional, sanitary, and comfortable environment in Hall 100, Hall 300, the secure unit, and the kitchen. On 6/29/2026, an observation and record review found a hole in the ceiling on Hall 100 that exposed the attic space and was approximately three inches wide. Hall 100 had 20 residents according to the facility census. On the same day, the shower room on Hall 300 had a detached baseboard along one wall, exposing the flooring underneath the sheetrock with an approximately 2-3-inch gap between the wall and flooring. Also on 6/29/2026, the secure unit dining room was observed with eight residents waiting for lunch trays while 3 of 6 lights were out, making the dining area dim. Staff opened the blinds to provide more lighting. The secure unit had 14 residents according to the facility census. During interviews, the Maintenance Supervisor said staff were supposed to enter issues in the maintenance log or report them verbally, and she stated she had reported the environmental issues to corporate staff and owners on 6/29/2026 and was awaiting a response. She also stated she was not aware of the issues before that date and that they were not in the maintenance log. On 7/1/2026, the kitchen was observed with a pot on the floor by the food prep table collecting dark, brown water from a hole in the ceiling that was approximately 6 inches wide and exposed the attic space. The area around the hole was brown from water damage. The DM stated the pot was kept there because the kitchen leaked when it rained. Record review of maintenance logs from June 2026 to July 2026 did not show the shower room on Hall 300, the secure unit lights, the kitchen ceiling hole, or the Hall 100 ceiling hole had been reported for repair.
Unsafe and Nonfunctional Bathroom Fixtures
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a safe and functional environment on two nursing units and for one resident. Resident 1 stated that the faucet in his room was broken, and observation showed the hot water handle had been replaced with an alternate knob that was secured on the previous hardware, wiggled and flopped up and down when turned, and did not function normally to turn the water on and off, sometimes working and sometimes requiring the handle to be spun multiple times. In the [NAME] unit shower room, the faucet handle was installed incorrectly so that the hot water indicator supplied cold water and the cold indicator supplied hot water, and an employee confirmed the temperature indicators were reversed. In the University shower room, there was no drain cover over the shower drain, and an employee confirmed the drain cover was missing.
Unsafe and Unclean Unit Environment
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a safe, sanitary, and homelike environment on the 200 unit. During observation, the unit hallways had marred walls, a resident room had a large hole in the wall by the foot of the bed, and the wall by the offices had a large chunk of drywall missing. Baseboards had dirt buildup, door trim around resident rooms was marred or had chipped paint, and the hallways had dirt buildup in corners and around the double doors. The dining room floor had debris buildup around the baseboards and in corners, the elevator floor had dirt buildup around the edges of the walls, and the wrap around the elevator door frame outside the elevator doors was hanging or coming off on both sides. Housekeeper 3 stated the floor technician had recently been let go, the facility was down a housekeeper, and floors should be cleaned daily. The Administrator provided the facility policy on safe and homelike environment with a copyright date of 2025, which stated the facility will provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment.
Unsafe Resident Room Conditions Due to Nonfunctional A/C and Biological Growth
Penalty
Summary
Resident rooms in units 100 and 200 were not maintained in a safe, functional, and comfortable condition because multiple air-conditioning units were not operational, some room openings around replacement units were unsealed, and environmental contaminants were present in at least one unit. On 6/29/26, Resident #2 stated the room had been without working A/C since before admission, that the facility had provided a fan, and that the resident and family had added another fan because of the heat. By the end of the interview, the room temperature measured 87.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Resident #2’s record showed diagnoses including paraplegia, polyneuropathy, chronic pain, and traumatic brain injury, and the resident had a BIMS score of 15, indicating cognitive intactness. Staff interviews and observations showed the problem extended beyond one room. A CNA stated multiple rooms in the locked unit had similar A/C issues, and another CNA stated several resident rooms had not had working A/C for a while and that administration had known about the issue for months. Observations in the 200 hall identified nonfunctional A/C units in 10 resident rooms, with temperatures above 81 degrees Fahrenheit in multiple rooms, including rooms 206, 207, 216, 221, 222, 224, 225, and 229. The NHA and DON stated they were aware of A/C issues in only two rooms and said replacement units had been ordered. The report also documented environmental concerns within the room conditions. One A/C unit had visible biological growth inside it, and a large circular black area of biological growth was observed on the ceiling tile above the sink in a room occupied by a resident with documented respiratory concerns. The DOM stated replacement A/C units were smaller than the originals, leaving unsealed openings around the units that exposed residents to outside elements. The maintenance log contained no entries documenting malfunctioning A/C units in the 200 hall, and no completed room inspection checklists were available despite a preventative maintenance checklist requiring inspection of A/C units, thermostats, and filters.
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