Waters of Martinsville: Food Safety Violations - IN
The Dietary Manager, standing in the refrigerator alongside the inspector, said the expired dressing should have been removed. Nobody had.
That moment, and several others like it across two consecutive mornings, formed the basis of a complaint-driven inspection at the Martinsville nursing home that documented a kitchen operating outside basic sanitary standards. The violations were small in isolation. Together, they described a food service operation where expired products stayed in rotation, surfaces went uncleaned, and the people preparing meals for residents didn't always bother with the equipment designed to keep hair out of the food.
The inspection began the morning of January 29 with a kitchen tour that ran from 7:40 to 8:05 a.m. Two people were working in the kitchen that morning preparing meal trays for residents: the Activity Director and the Social Service Director. Neither was wearing a hair net. When the inspector noted this, the Social Service Director acknowledged they should have put one on before entering the kitchen.
The Activity Director and Social Service Director are not dietary staff. Their presence in the kitchen preparing trays suggests the facility was pulling from other departments to cover food service that morning, though the inspection report does not say why.
The dishwasher room told its own story. Inspectors observed a buildup of debris and food particles on top of the dishwashing machine and along the floor underneath the metal tables that run alongside it. The Dietary Manager said the dishwasher and dish room floors should have been cleaned thoroughly.
Should have been. Past tense. The cleaning hadn't happened.
The following morning, January 30, inspectors went back into the walk-in refrigerator. Two full one-gallon jugs of two-percent milk were sitting inside. The expiration date printed on both jugs was January 29, the day before, meaning the milk had expired overnight and was still in the refrigerator at 8:24 a.m. The Regional Dietary Director, present during that observation, said the expired milk should have been removed.
In less than 24 hours, inspectors had found expired ranch dressing, expired milk, a dirty dishwashing area, and two non-kitchen staff preparing resident meals without hairnets. The ranch dressing had been opened after it expired. The milk had not been pulled when it turned. The debris on the dishwasher had not been cleaned.
At 9:00 a.m. on January 30, the facility's Administrator handed inspectors a copy of the facility's Food Storage policy, dated November 29, 2019, and described it as the current policy in use. The policy stated that food should be stored and prepared in a clean, safe, and sanitary manner.
The gap between that policy and what inspectors observed across two mornings was the finding.
CMS rated the harm level as minimal, meaning inspectors did not conclude that residents had been made sick by what they found. Whether any resident received food prepared with the expired dressing or drank the expired milk, the report does not say. The kitchen conditions were documented across two separate complaint intakes, suggesting the problems had been reported before inspectors arrived.
Waters of Martinsville sits on Heritage Drive in Martinsville, Indiana, a long-term care facility serving residents who depend entirely on the staff and kitchen operations around them for every meal. They do not choose their food service directors. They do not inspect their own refrigerators. They eat what they are served.
The ranch dressing expired December 12. It was still in the refrigerator when inspectors arrived on January 29.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Waters of Martinsville, The from 2026-01-30 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: August 4, 2026 · Our methodology
WATERS OF MARTINSVILLE, THE in MARTINSVILLE, IN was cited for violations during a health inspection on January 30, 2026.
The Dietary Manager, standing in the refrigerator alongside the inspector, said the expired dressing should have been removed.
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.