Civita Care Center at Salmon Brook operated with a single functioning washing machine for approximately six months before purchasing a replacement, leaving residents frustrated and filing formal grievances about delayed laundry service.
The breakdown timeline stretched back years. The facility's large washing machine broke down over two years ago, according to Laundry Technician #1. A second machine failed about one year ago, leaving staff scrambling with just one washer to handle all resident clothing and linens.
Resident #2 filed a grievance on August 4, 2025, complaining that personal items sent for laundering a week earlier still hadn't been washed and returned. The facility's written response acknowledged the problem, stating administrators "were working on buying a new washing machine."
But purchasing moved slowly. The facility ordered a 60-pound washing machine on August 14, with delivery scheduled for August 29. Even after that replacement arrived, residents continued voicing complaints at council meetings in August and September about ongoing laundry delays.
Environmental Services Director couldn't explain the sluggish response during an October 1 interview. Two of the broken machines were irreparable because replacement parts weren't available, he said. The facility had replaced one broken machine about six weeks earlier, but he remained "unsure as to the reason for the delay in replacing the washing machines as the corporate office, the regional manager, and Administrator were all aware of the issue."
The laundry crisis created ripple effects throughout daily operations. Central Supply Manager described how nursing aides would "retrieve clothes from lost and found bins to provide clean clothes for the residents who did not have any clean clothes due to the delay in completing the personal laundry."
Staff tried multiple workarounds. The facility added a third shift of employees specifically to manage laundry needs. Two months before the October inspection, administrators began outsourcing soiled clothing to an external service once weekly.
None of these measures solved the underlying problem. Laundry Technician #2 confirmed the facility remained "down/short one washing machine and one dryer, causing a continued delay in completing resident laundry" even after the August replacement purchase.
The facility had already received a quote for an additional 60-pound washing machine on September 12, but hadn't committed to the purchase by the time of the inspection.
Administrator acknowledged awareness of the laundry problems during his October 1 interview, confirming that two of three washing machines weren't working simultaneously. By that date, 58 days after Resident #2's initial grievance and 48 days after the August invoice, the facility had replaced only one machine.
The inspection found the laundry equipment failures affected "many" residents at the facility. Federal inspectors cited the nursing home for failing to "provide sufficient laundry services to ensure resident laundry was completed timely due to broken washing machines."
The violation carried a designation of "minimal harm or potential for actual harm," but the human impact was immediate. Residents like #2 experienced week-long waits for basic necessities while broken equipment sat unrepaired for months.
Corporate oversight appeared ineffective despite multiple levels of management awareness. The Environmental Services Director specifically noted that "corporate office, the regional manager, and Administrator were all aware of the issue," yet replacement equipment procurement stretched across months while residents went without clean clothing.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Civita Care Center At Salmon Brook from 2025-11-26 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.