Civita Care Center at Salmon Brook had been running laundry operations for an entire facility with a single washer after two of its three machines broke down over the past two years. One machine failed more than two years ago. The second broke down about a year ago.
Resident #2 filed a formal grievance on August 4th after waiting a full week for personal items to be laundered and returned. The facility's written response acknowledged the problem and indicated administrators "were working on buying a new washing machine."
The Environmental Services Director told inspectors that two of the broken machines were "irreparable" because replacement parts weren't available. He said the facility had replaced one machine about six weeks earlier but couldn't explain why it took so long to address the equipment failures, despite corporate office, regional management, and the administrator all being aware of the issue.
Laundry Technician #1 described the cascading impact of the equipment failures. With only one machine handling laundry and linens for the entire facility, completion times stretched dramatically. A second laundry worker confirmed the facility operated with a single washing machine for approximately six months before adding the replacement.
The laundry crisis forced operational changes throughout the building. The Central Supply Manager told inspectors that nursing assistants "would at times have to 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."
Resident Council minutes from August 29th and September 25th documented ongoing complaints about laundry delays. By then, the facility had begun outsourcing some soiled clothing to an outside service once per week, starting two months earlier.
The facility added a third shift of employees specifically to manage laundry needs, but even with additional staffing, the equipment shortage continued causing delays. Staff reported the facility remained "down/short one washing machine and one dryer" as of the October inspection.
Records show the facility purchased a 60-pound washing machine on August 14th, with delivery scheduled for August 29th. A second invoice from September 12th provided a quote for an additional 60-pound machine to replace the third broken washer.
Administrator interviews revealed the scope of management awareness. The administrator confirmed he knew about the laundry problems when two of three machines weren't working simultaneously. As of October 1st, 58 days after the resident grievance and 48 days after the replacement machine invoice, the facility had replaced only one of the two broken washers.
The inspection found that "many" residents were affected by the laundry equipment failures and resulting delays in receiving clean personal items.
Laundry Technician #2 provided the starkest timeline. The facility operated with just one functioning machine for about six months before management added a second washer. Even after the replacement, the facility continued struggling with equipment shortages that prevented timely completion of resident laundry.
The breakdown in basic services meant residents like #2 experienced week-long waits for clean clothes while nursing assistants searched through lost-and-found bins to dress other residents who had run out of laundered personal items entirely.
Federal inspectors cited the facility for failing to keep essential equipment working safely, finding minimal harm or potential for actual harm to residents. The citation highlighted how broken washing machines created a systemic failure in providing sufficient laundry services to complete resident washing in a timely manner.
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.