Pearl of Hillside: Pest Control Failures in Rooms, Kitchen - IL
It was 12:15 p.m. on September 23, 2025. The resident, identified in the inspection report as R5, was asleep in bed. More than ten gnats crawled on the outside of his white trash can near the entry way. The can was full. More gnats flew around it.
Three minutes later, the inspector stepped into the next room. R6, a woman described as alert and oriented, was resting in bed with three gnats flying around her and her bedside table. She said she had been having a problem with gnats. "It's nasty to have gnats flying around," she said.
The maintenance director, identified as V4, acknowledged the gnats in R5's room and pointed to the full trash can as the source. His explanation: the certified nursing assistants hadn't been emptying it. The unit manager, V3, said she had seen a gnat near R5's bed. She added that R5 cannot swat the gnats away.
That detail sat in the inspection report without elaboration. R5 was asleep when gnats rested on his bedsheet above his head. He cannot swat them away. The unit manager had seen one near his bed and, based on the record, done nothing that stopped what came next.
By 3:43 that same afternoon, the inspector returned to R5's room. He was awake now, and a partially open bag of restaurant food sat on his bedside table. Seven or more gnats crawled on the top, inside, and outside of the bag. Three more rested on the wall beside him. V4 confirmed what the inspector was seeing. "There are gnats in and around R5's food bag," he said. "There are gnats on the wall."
The kitchen told a similar story. At 1:06 p.m., during a tour of the food preparation area, inspectors observed three to four gnats and one large mosquito flying near the handwashing sink in the dish washing area. The dietary manager, V6, identified the insects herself. She said she had not seen any gnats there before that day.
A pest control service report dated the following day, September 24, documented fruit flies present in the main kitchen area during the time of service. The report noted that the kitchen floor needed to be regrouted to prevent fruit flies from breeding. All 154 residents at the facility have their meals prepared in that kitchen.
The facility's own pest control policy, dated March 2021, warned specifically about mosquitoes. The policy noted that elderly patients are more susceptible to mosquito-borne illness, including West Nile virus, than younger people, and have more difficulty recovering. It instructed staff to keep trash cans lined and to empty them regularly.
On September 23, 2025, R5's trash can was full. Gnats were breeding in it. He was asleep in the same room, and he cannot swat them away.
The inspection covered four residents flagged for pest-related concerns. Two of them, R5 and R6, had gnats in their rooms. The violation was cited at a level of minimal harm, a regulatory classification that means no serious injury was documented. What it does not mean is that nothing happened.
R6 put it plainly. She has been having a problem with gnats. It's nasty.
R5 was eating lunch when the inspector came back at 12:48 p.m., gnats in the room around him. By mid-afternoon, they were in his food.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Pearl of Hillside,the from 2025-09-25 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Download the official CMS inspection PDF from Medicare.gov
Additional Resources
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: September 23, 2026 · Our methodology
PEARL OF HILLSIDE,THE in HILLSIDE, IL was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 25, 2025.
The resident, identified in the inspection report as R5, was asleep in bed.
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.