The facility's 238 residents went without kitchen service for a day while staff cleaned and sanitized contaminated surfaces. The county allowed the kitchen to reopen May 15 only after a pest control company placed bait boxes throughout the area.
Multiple evidence of rodent infestation extended beyond the main food preparation area. Inspectors found additional droppings in the entry room to the dry storage area, according to the County Environmental Health Inspector who conducted the routine annual inspection.
The rodent problem stemmed from basic maintenance failures that had persisted for months. An unsealed floor drain sat behind the ice machine at the back wall sink area. A large uncovered hole inside the dry storage room was topped only with a gray rubber bucket that could be easily lifted.
When the facility's Registered Dietitian lifted the bucket during the inspection, she acknowledged "that should be sealed and covered."
Pest control company reports from January through May documented repeated warnings about structural problems that invited rodents. The company flagged loose and broken tiles in kitchen areas on January 2, with a recommendation to "seal or replace" marked as "pending."
The same "pending" status appeared on reports from February 6, February 20, April 17, and May 15 — all citing cracks and crevices in kitchen areas that needed sealing.
Maintenance Director acknowledged during interviews that he had "not been able to complete all the repair recommendations made by the previous pest control company." He admitted the open holes and floor sink drains "did make it easier for rodents to enter the kitchen area."
The maintenance issues extended outside the building. The Maintenance Director said cluttered equipment and items at the back garbage dumpster "needed to be removed because they may help rodents come towards the facility building."
During a group interview with facility leadership, the Administrator, Director of Nursing, and Registered Dietitian all acknowledged the kitchen's unsanitary conditions should have been addressed to prevent rodent presence.
The ice machine presented additional contamination risks. Black, brown, and grayish colored spots and grime covered the inside ice making section, including the grid curtain, water tray, and both sides of the ice chute.
The Maintenance Director claimed he cleaned the ice machine monthly using descaler and sanitizer chemicals. But he admitted he didn't use a scrub brush to clean between the metal flaps in the ice machine curtain, acknowledging "he should use one to clean the black, brown and gray slime substances."
The Registered Dietitian and Director of Food and Nutrition Services said clean ice was "important for the residents to have clean ice for drinking and for the kitchen to use ice to keep foods cold."
Monthly inspection checklists completed by the facility's Registered Dietitian from April 2024 through April 2025 showed no identified issues with uncovered floor holes, drains, or ice machine cleaning. The dietitian acknowledged these concerns "may have been overlooked during the kitchen inspections but should have been identified so they could be addressed."
The facility maintained a pest control policy from 2001 stating it would ensure "the building is kept free of insects and rodents" and that "garbage and trash are not permitted to accumulate." The policy required daily trash removal from the facility.
Federal food safety guidelines specify that outer openings must be protected against insects and rodents by filling holes and gaps along floors, walls, and ceilings. The guidelines note that insects and rodents carry disease-causing microorganisms that contaminate food and food-contact surfaces.
The facility scheduled pest control company visits biweekly and received reports with recommendations after each visit. But the accumulation of unaddressed maintenance issues over four months created conditions that ultimately forced the kitchen closure.
When asked for the facility's Kitchen Sanitation policy, administrators could not provide it.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for San Diego Post-acute Center from 2025-05-15 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.