Van Duyn Center: Diabetic Sent to Appointment Unfed - NY
That was April 7, 2025. The resident, identified in inspection records as Resident #1098, had been given three units of insulin at 7:00 that morning after her blood glucose measured 196. Her pickup time was 8:15 AM. No one had arranged food for her to take.
The Registered Nurse Manager who spoke with inspectors on April 16 was direct about what that combination meant. A resident on sliding scale insulin before meals needed food to go with them. Without it, the resident could become hypoglycemic and confused. Someone should have touched base to make sure the resident had food. That person acknowledged they had not called the dietetic technician that morning because they were unaware of the appointment.
The Nurse Manager also acknowledged there was no concrete process in place to ensure meals were provided before outside appointments.
Everyone interviewed by inspectors understood the basic problem. The Licensed Practical Nurse who spoke on April 15 said diabetics should get something to eat because their sugar could drop, and that if a resident received insulin before leaving, "that would be even worse." The clerk who handled scheduling said it was important to make sure residents didn't go hungry, and that for Resident #1098's April 7 appointment, no food was called for. The certified nurse aide who accompanied the resident confirmed they brought no meal and that, at the appointment, the resident said she was hungry and had not yet eaten.
What the inspection revealed wasn't a single employee's lapse. It was a system with no reliable mechanism for catching the gap between a medication given and a meal never provided.
The Nurse Manager described how the process was supposed to work: outside appointments appeared on the daily assignment sheet, and the nurse manager would notify the dietetic technician if an early breakfast was needed. But they weren't always aware of every appointment. A clerk might catch it. Or a certified nurse aide might grab something from the unit refrigerator. One aide told inspectors that only residents going to dialysis routinely received food for transport, not residents headed to regular appointments.
Certified Nurse Aide #27, interviewed April 15, said they had seen residents leave for appointments without any food and did not think early breakfasts were offered. There was nothing different done for diabetic residents, they said.
The inspection was conducted April 18, 2025. Van Duyn Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, located at 5075 West Seneca Turnpike, is disputing the citation.
On the morning of April 7, a woman with diabetes had insulin introduced into her body and was then loaded into a transport vehicle with nothing to eat. When she arrived at her appointment and told the aide she was hungry, her daughter stepped in. The nursing home's own Nurse Manager, looking back at the medication record, said someone should have made sure she had food. Nobody had.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Van Duyn Center For Rehabilitation and Nursing from 2025-04-18 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
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Last verified: October 28, 2026 · Our methodology
Van Duyn Center For Rehabilitation And Nursing in SYRACUSE, NY was cited for violations during a health inspection on April 18, 2025.
No one had arranged food for her to take.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.