Highland Manor: Sanitation Failures in Laundry, Ice - PA
Inspectors documented that finding during a September 2025 complaint inspection, and it was one of the cleaner discoveries they made that day.
An air gap, the unobstructed vertical space between a drain pipe and the water supply, is what prevents contaminated water from backing up into the ice residents consume. Without one, dirty water and whatever it carries can move in the wrong direction. The floor beneath the drainage pipe, from the front of the machine to the drain, was covered in the sticky black buildup inspectors observed.
The laundry department was worse.
On September 12, at 11:30 in the morning, inspectors walked into the facility's dirty laundry room, the section designated for handling soiled linens and clothing. Both slop sinks were filled with clumps of lint and debris. Both also contained plastic hangers and a plastic bag holding soiled wheelchair and lift belts. A faucet was leaking. A dirty mop bucket on the floor held plastic garbage, mop covers, broken mops, and a plastic container. The garbage can was open and overflowing. Behind the washing machines, the floor held plastic, paper, dirty used gloves, and more clumps of lint. A sticky black substance had built up around the entire perimeter of the floor. The exhaust fan carried a heavy buildup of lint and dirt. Open plastic bags of floor mats sat on the floor between the machines. Two bags of dirty clothing were also on the floor. A floor cleaning machine had been placed directly in front of the washing machines. A ripped, dirty fall mat was propped against the wall.
That was the dirty side.
The clean side, where dryers, folding tables, carts, and clothing racks are kept, was not clean. The garbage can there was also overflowing. The floor had visible dirt, dried liquid stains, and used plastic gloves scattered throughout. A large pile of lint sat on the floor in front of a dryer. The windowsill, dryer exhaust tubing, wall exhaust fan, and door hinges all had heavy lint buildup. Mechanical lift pads stored on the clean linen and clothing racks were sitting in direct contact with the floor. A dirty washcloth was on the floor.
The Nursing Home Administrator confirmed the observations at the time of the survey.
What the inspection report describes is not a room that had a bad week. Sticky black buildup around the perimeter of two separate rooms, heavy lint accumulation on exhaust fans and tubing, overflowing garbage on both the soiled and clean sides, used gloves in the area where residents' clothing and linens are processed, lift pads touching the floor. This is accumulation. The kind that takes time.
Mechanical lift pads are the wide fabric slings used to transfer residents who cannot move themselves, positioned under their bodies, against their skin. Storing them on racks where they rest against a floor scattered with dirt, dried liquid, and discarded gloves is how contamination moves from an unsanitary room onto a resident.
The ice machine violation carries its own risk. Residents on the second hallway drink that ice, or have it packed against wounds, or use it in beverages throughout the day. The absence of an air gap means the water supply feeding that machine has no physical barrier against backflow contamination. The black material coating the floor beneath the drain is what inspectors could see. What may have entered the water supply is not visible.
The deficiency was cited at a level of minimal harm or potential for actual harm, affecting some residents. It did not rise to immediate jeopardy, the most serious federal classification.
What the inspection report does not say is when the laundry room last passed an internal review, or how long the ice machine had been operating without an air gap, or whether anyone had flagged either condition before a complaint brought inspectors through the door.
The administrator confirmed what inspectors saw. The garbage cans, the gloves, the black floors, the lint-packed fans, the lift pads on the ground. All of it.
Residents at Highland Manor have their laundry done in that room.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Highland Manor Rehabilitation and Nursing Center from 2025-09-11 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 29, 2026 · Our methodology
HIGHLAND MANOR REHABILITATION AND NURSING CENTER in EXETER, PA was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 11, 2025.
Inspectors documented that finding during a September 2025 complaint inspection, and it was one of the cleaner discoveries they made that day.
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.