New Lebanon Rehab: Flies in Kitchen During Meal Prep - OH
That was September 22. The next afternoon, black flies were circling the kitchen while staff prepared pureed and mechanical soft meals for the dinner service.
Federal inspectors cited New Lebanon Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, located at 101 Mills Place in New Lebanon, Ohio, following a complaint inspection completed September 30, 2025. The deficiency, tagged F0812, covered the facility's failure to prepare, store, and distribute food in a safe manner. All 96 residents living at the facility receive their meals from that kitchen.
The inspection report documents two separate observation windows, one day apart, both confirming the same condition. On the morning of September 22, inspectors touring the kitchen with Dietary Manager No. 155 observed a swarm of flying gnats throughout the kitchen areas. The manager was interviewed two minutes later. She said she would check for overripe bananas, looked into a box of them, and concluded that wasn't the cause. Then she confirmed the facility had been dealing with the gnat problem on an ongoing basis.
The following afternoon, at 3:01 p.m. on September 23, inspectors returned during meal preparation. Active black flies were present in the kitchen. The dietary manager confirmed it again at 3:02 p.m., standing in the kitchen while staff worked the line. She confirmed the findings a second time that evening, at 5:20 p.m., after inspectors had observed the tray line.
The deficiency was investigated under two separate complaint numbers, meaning residents or people connected to the facility had reported concerns before inspectors arrived.
Pureed and mechanical soft diets are prepared specifically for residents who cannot safely chew or swallow whole foods. These are among the most vulnerable people in any nursing home population, often elderly residents with swallowing disorders, neurological conditions, or recovering from strokes. The food is handled more extensively during preparation, processed through equipment, and portioned by hand onto trays. Flies and gnats in that environment, during active food preparation, are not an incidental nuisance.
The facility's own food handling policy, dated September 2021, states that food will be stored, prepared, handled, and served so that the risk of foodborne illness is minimized. Inspectors cited the observations as direct noncompliance with that standard.
What the report captures, in the dietary manager's own words across three separate interviews over two days, is not a facility that discovered a pest problem when inspectors walked in. It is a facility that already knew, had not resolved it, and continued preparing meals for 96 residents in a kitchen where flies were active during service.
The census at the time of inspection was 96 residents. Every one of them was affected.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for New Lebanon Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center from 2025-09-30 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 26, 2026 · Our methodology
NEW LEBANON REHABILITATION AND HEALTHCARE CENTER in NEW LEBANON, OH was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 30, 2025.
The next afternoon, black flies were circling the kitchen while staff prepared pureed and mechanical soft meals for the dinner service.
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.