Willow Haven: Food Safety and Thermometer Failures - OH
Inspectors who arrived at the facility on August 21, 2025, following a complaint, found both problems in the same survey. The deficiency, tagged F0812, was cited as having minimal harm or potential for actual harm, and inspectors noted it affected many residents.
Sanitizer solution loses its effectiveness over time. The concentration has to be checked with test strips, and the solution has to be swapped out at least every four hours to remain effective. Inspectors found that wasn't happening consistently at Willow Haven. A solution that looks the same in the bucket whether it's at the right concentration or well past it, and without test strips confirming the level, there's no way to know whether surfaces and equipment are actually being sanitized or just wiped down with warm water.
The thermometer problem was documented separately but found in the same sweep. The facility's own policy, which was undated, spelled out the standard plainly: all thermometers must be used, stored, calibrated, and maintained in a manner that ensures accuracy, hygiene, and safety. Faulty or uncalibrated thermometers must be discarded or repaired promptly.
They weren't.
A thermometer that reads two or three degrees low doesn't announce itself. Food that registers as safe on an uncalibrated device might not be. In a facility serving residents who are elderly, often immunocompromised, and dependent on staff to ensure their meals are handled safely, that gap between what the thermometer says and what the temperature actually is carries real consequences. Foodborne illness in a nursing home population moves faster and hits harder than it does in a healthy adult.
The inspection was triggered by a complaint, logged under Complaint Number 2569206, not a routine survey. That distinction matters. A complaint inspection means someone, whether a resident, a family member, or a staff member, reported a concern serious enough to prompt investigators to show up. The deficiency that resulted wasn't a close call on a technicality. It was a facility operating with unverified sanitizer and equipment its own policy said should have been pulled from service or fixed.
Willow Haven sits at 1020 Taylor Street in Zanesville. The inspection report lists the deficiency on page 15 of a 20-page document, which means it wasn't the only thing inspectors were looking at that day.
The facility's plan of correction was not included in the inspection materials reviewed. CMS directs anyone seeking that information to contact the nursing home or the Ohio state survey agency directly.
What the record shows is a kitchen operating without the basic verification steps that exist precisely because contamination and temperature failure are invisible. You don't see bacteria on a clean-looking surface. You don't see the difference between 140 degrees and 132 degrees without a thermometer you can trust. The policy Willow Haven wrote for itself acknowledged that. The inspectors who walked in found the policy sitting there, undated, while the thermometers it described as a safety requirement went uncalibrated and the sanitizer went untested.
For the many residents whose meals came out of that kitchen, the margin between policy and practice was something they had no way of knowing existed.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Continuing Healthcare At Willow Haven from 2025-08-21 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.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: October 10, 2026 · Our methodology
CONTINUING HEALTHCARE AT WILLOW HAVEN in ZANESVILLE, OH was cited for violations during a health inspection on August 21, 2025.
Inspectors who arrived at the facility on August 21, 2025, following a complaint, found both problems in the same survey.
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.