Maple Heights Health & Rehab: Cold Food Violations - PA
The inspection, conducted in response to a complaint, took place on November 17 and 18, 2025. What inspectors found was straightforward and measurable: food that left the kitchen hot enough arrived on the third floor cold enough to violate the facility's own written standards.
The resident, identified in inspection records as Resident 129, told an inspector on November 17 at 1:53 p.m. that the quality and quantity of meals was poor and that food was often served cold when it should have been hot. She wasn't describing a single bad lunch. She said it happened often.
The next day, inspectors watched the lunch service from start to finish.
The meal was fried chicken with poultry gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, seasoned spinach, and cornbread. It was packed into Styrofoam containers, not plates or bowls. A test tray left the kitchen at 12:09 p.m. and reached the third floor three minutes later, at 12:12 p.m. Staff passed the Styrofoam containers to residents in their rooms. The last resident was served and eating at 12:21 p.m.
At 12:22 p.m., inspectors checked the test tray. The fried chicken read 127.0 degrees Fahrenheit. The spinach read 122.9 degrees. The facility's own policy, updated as recently as September 23, 2025, required hot foods to be at least 135 degrees when plated and palatable at the point of delivery.
Both items fell short. The chicken was eight degrees below the minimum. The spinach was more than twelve degrees below it.
The temperature problem wasn't the only one inspectors noted. The fried chicken had developed a hard border, the kind of crust that forms when hot food sits and cools in an enclosed container. The mashed potatoes, spinach, and cornbread were also cited for lacking seasoning and flavor. The recipes on file called for minced garlic, margarine, and salt in the potatoes, and salt in the spinach. The cornbread called for water added to a mix. Whether those ingredients were used as written, the inspection report doesn't say. What inspectors recorded was that the food, as served, didn't taste like it.
The Assistant Dietary Manager, interviewed at the time inspectors checked the test tray, confirmed that food should be served at correct temperatures and be palatable. That confirmation didn't appear to be disputed. The temperatures were what they were.
The violation was tagged under F0804, which covers the requirement that food and drink be palatable, attractive, and served at safe and appetizing temperatures. Inspectors rated the level of harm as minimal harm or potential for actual harm, and noted that some residents were affected.
The Styrofoam containers are worth pausing on. The facility's policy specified that appropriate hot and cold holding equipment should be used to maintain temperatures during transport. Styrofoam is an insulator, but it is not a heated holding container. The test tray traveled from kitchen to third floor in three minutes and lost at least eight degrees on the chicken alone. Whether the containers were a recent change or standard practice at Maple Heights, the inspection report doesn't say.
What it does say is that Resident 129 had noticed. She told inspectors the food was often cold. Not once. Often. The inspection captured one lunch on one day, and the thermometer backed her up.
The facility is required to submit a plan of correction. Under Pennsylvania rules, inspection findings for nursing homes are publicly available 14 days after the documents are provided to the facility.
Resident 129 didn't ask for a plan. She asked for a hot meal.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Maple Heights Health & Rehab Center, LLC from 2025-11-20 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 21, 2026 · Our methodology
Maple Heights Health & Rehab Center, LLC in EBENSBURG, PA was cited for violations during a health inspection on November 20, 2025.
The inspection, conducted in response to a complaint, took place on November 17 and 18, 2025.
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.