Sandia Ridge Center
Sandia Ridge Center in Albuquerque, NM — inspection on February 20, 2026.
Found 1 citation. Severity: Standard violations.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct within required timeframes. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns and are subject to follow-up verification.
Inspection Findings
R #3, R #4, R #5, and R #6) residents reviewed.
This failed practice had the potential to affect all 128
are not appetizing, then residents may not eat meals and lose weight.
The findings are: A. On 02/19/26 at 3:12 p.m., during an interview, Resident #1 stated their meals were consistently cold. R #1 stated they ate only what they could tolerate because the food often arrived too cold to enjoy. B.
On 02/19/26 at 3:17 p.m., during an interview, Resident #2 stated their meals were often cold when they were supposed to be hot.
The resident stated the room trays sometimes took a long time to reach the rooms. C. On 02/19/26 at 3:24 p.m., during an interview, Resident #3 stated their meals were often not warm enough, and the food was sometimes already cold by the time the tray reached them.D. On 02/19/26 at 3:30 pm during an interview, R #4 stated the food is horrible. I don't ask to warm it up anymore. It's always cold.E. On 02/19/26 at 3:30 p.m., during an interview, Resident #4 stated their meals were consistently served cold.
The resident stated they did not ask staff to reheat the food anymore, because it did not help in the past. R #4 stated the meals continued to arrive cold.
F. On 02/20/26 at 10:15 a.m., during an interview, Resident #6 stated their meals were inconsistent in temperature. R #6 stated some meals arrived cold while others did not. G. On 02/20/26 at 11:55 a.m., observation revealed staff delivered the lunch meal trays delivered to Unit 500.
Further observation revealed the plates for Residents #1 and #2 were cool to the touch. H. On 02/20/26 at 11:45 am during an interview, the Dietary District Manager stated he was aware of residents' complaints about the cold food served at the facility. I. On 02/20/26 at 11:52 am, during an interview, the Administrator stated the facility utilized plate bases and plate warmers to help keep the hall tray meals warm.
The Administrator stated they were aware there was a problem with food temperatures.
Any deficiency statement ending with an asterisk (*) denotes a deficiency which the institution may be excused from correcting providing it is determined that other safeguards provide sufficient protection to the patients. (See instructions.) Except for nursing homes, the findings stated above are disclosable 90 days following the date of survey whether or not a plan of correction is provided.
For nursing homes, the above findings and plans of correction are disclosable 14 days following the date these documents are made available to the facility. If deficiencies are cited, an approved plan of correction is requisite to continued program participation.
LABORATORY DIRECTOR'S OR PROVIDER/SUPPLIER TITLE (X6) DATE REPRESENTATIVE'S SIGNATURE