PLANTSVILLE, CT — Federal health inspectors identified nine deficiencies at Summit at Plantsville Center for Health & Rehabilitation during a standard health inspection completed on December 8, 2025, including a citation for failing to provide residents with adequate food and fluids to maintain their health.
Facility Failed to Meet Basic Nutrition Standards
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) cited the facility under regulatory tag F0692, which requires nursing homes to ensure that each resident receives sufficient food and fluid intake to maintain proper nutrition and hydration levels. The deficiency falls under the broader category of Quality of Life and Care requirements that all Medicare- and Medicaid-certified facilities must meet.
Inspectors classified the violation at Scope/Severity Level D, indicating an isolated incident where no actual harm was documented but the potential existed for more than minimal harm to residents. While this represents the lower end of the federal severity scale, inadequate nutrition and hydration in elderly nursing home residents carries significant medical risks that can escalate rapidly if left unaddressed.
The citation was one component of a broader pattern of compliance failures identified during the inspection, with the facility receiving a total of nine deficiencies across multiple areas of care.
Why Adequate Nutrition Is Critical in Long-Term Care
Proper nutrition and hydration are foundational to health outcomes in long-term care settings. Elderly residents are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of inadequate food and fluid intake due to age-related changes in metabolism, decreased thirst sensation, and the presence of chronic medical conditions.
When a nursing home fails to maintain adequate nutrition protocols, residents face increased risk of unintended weight loss, dehydration, weakened immune function, and delayed wound healing. Dehydration alone can lead to urinary tract infections, confusion, falls, and in severe cases, kidney failure and hospitalization. For residents with conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, nutritional deficiencies can destabilize otherwise managed conditions.
Federal regulations under 42 CFR §483.25 require that facilities maintain each resident's nutritional status and provide interventions when dietary intake is inadequate. This includes regular monitoring of weight, food consumption records, and individualized care plans developed in consultation with dietary staff and physicians.
No Correction Plan Submitted
Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the citation is that Summit at Plantsville Center has not submitted a plan of correction for the nutrition deficiency. When CMS identifies a deficiency, facilities are typically required to develop and submit a detailed correction plan outlining specific steps they will take to address the problem and prevent recurrence.
The absence of a correction plan means there is no documented commitment from the facility to resolve the identified issue. Under federal guidelines, facilities that fail to submit timely correction plans may face escalating enforcement actions, including civil monetary penalties, denial of payment for new admissions, or in extreme cases, termination from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Industry Standards for Nutrition Management
Accredited long-term care facilities are expected to maintain comprehensive nutrition programs that include regular dietary assessments upon admission and at quarterly intervals, individualized meal plans that account for medical conditions and personal preferences, daily monitoring of food and fluid intake, and prompt intervention when residents show signs of inadequate consumption.
Staffing plays a critical role in nutrition management. Facilities must employ qualified dietary professionals and ensure that nursing staff are trained to identify early warning signs of nutritional decline, such as decreased appetite, difficulty swallowing, or unexplained weight changes.
Broader Compliance Concerns
The nine total deficiencies identified during the December 2025 inspection suggest systemic compliance challenges at the Plantsville facility. While the nutrition citation alone was classified as isolated in scope, the cumulative number of deficiencies across a single inspection cycle raises questions about the facility's overall quality management and internal oversight processes.
Families of current and prospective residents can review the complete inspection findings, including all nine deficiencies, through the CMS Care Compare website or by requesting the full inspection report directly from the facility. Connecticut's Department of Public Health also maintains records of nursing home compliance actions accessible to the public.
The full inspection report provides additional detail on each deficiency cited during the December 2025 survey.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Summit At Plantsville Center For Health & Rehabili from 2025-12-08 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
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