Paradigm at Stevens: Food Safety Violations - TX
Federal inspectors found the food safety violation at Paradigm at Stevens during a September 6 complaint investigation. The resident, who has schizophrenia and depression but intact cognition, told inspectors that someone used to check her refrigerator temperature but "it had not been checked lately and did not contain a thermometer."
All the food items felt warm to the touch when inspectors examined them at 9:55 AM. The facility's own policy requires refrigerator temperatures at or below 41 degrees. The resident's refrigerator was running 34 degrees too hot.
The resident said her family had recently visited and brought groceries. She denied any stomach illness from eating the food.
When inspectors questioned the Assistant Director of Nursing at 1:17 PM, she said night nursing staff was responsible for monitoring temperature logs of residents' personal refrigerators. She showed them a binder containing temperature logs, but it had no entries for the resident's refrigerator for the entire month of September.
The ADON was unsure of the facility's policy on labeling and dating food in personal refrigerators. She said staff cleaned the refrigerators about once a week to remove expired food.
The administrator told inspectors at 3:25 PM that she was responsible for checking this particular resident's refrigerator temperature because she served as the "Resident Ambassador" for that room. She admitted she hadn't performed a single temperature check in September.
The administrator didn't know the proper temperature range for food storage. She was also unsure of facility policy regarding food labeling and dating. When asked about potential harm to residents from improperly stored food, she said "sickness."
The facility's own policy, revised in September 2024, clearly states requirements that weren't being followed. All food items must be labeled with the resident's name and date. Perishable items must be discarded after three days unless dietary services directs otherwise. Temperature must stay at or below 41 degrees.
None of these requirements were met in the resident's refrigerator.
The inspection found the facility failed to ensure food storage followed professional food service safety standards. Inspectors noted this failure "could lead to food-borne illness and decreased quality life of residents."
The resident has been at the facility since her admission date and scored 15 on her cognitive assessment, indicating she understands her situation. Her diagnoses include schizophrenia, depression, and generalized anxiety disorder.
The temperature violation represents a breakdown in the facility's food safety monitoring system. Staff responsible for daily checks hadn't performed them. The administrator responsible for this specific refrigerator hadn't checked it for weeks. The temperature monitoring binder contained no September entries for this resident.
Meanwhile, the resident continued eating food stored at unsafe temperatures, unaware that her refrigerator was running more than 30 degrees too hot. The warm lunch meat and condiments posed risks for foodborne illness that could have been prevented with basic temperature monitoring.
The facility policy exists on paper, revised as recently as last month. But implementation failed completely for this resident's food safety.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Paradigm At Stevens from 2025-09-06 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
Paradigm at Stevens in Yoakum, TX was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 6, 2025.
Federal inspectors found the food safety violation at Paradigm at Stevens during a September 6 complaint investigation.
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.