Canton senior living facility fails second health inspection

CANTON — A Canton senior living facility is facing renewed scrutiny after failing a follow-up health inspection last week with a score of 61 out of 100.

Chapters Living of Canton, located at 125 Riverstone Terrace, received the failing grade during a May 11 follow-up inspection conducted by the Cherokee County Health Department. A score below 70 is considered unsatisfactory under Georgia’s food service inspection system. The facility serves food to senior residents.

Repeat violations raise concerns

Several of the violations found during the May 11 inspection had already been cited during a previous visit, raising questions about whether the facility is taking corrective action between inspections.

Among the most serious repeat violations were problems with food temperature control. Inspectors found shredded cheese and cut lettuce being kept on ice at 52 and 56 degrees Fahrenheit, well above the required 41 degrees. Chicken in a steam table was being held between 118 and 140 degrees, falling short of the required minimum of 135 degrees. Both violations were corrected during the inspection.

A meat sauce prepared for lunch had not been cooled properly. Inspectors found the sauce still at 92 degrees in the center at 4:50 p.m., more than two hours after it should have begun cooling. State rules require cooked food to drop from 135 degrees to 70 degrees within two hours. The sauce was discarded.

Inspectors also found a red sauce in the walk-in cooler that had been prepared April 27, more than two weeks before the inspection. Food requiring date marking must be discarded after seven days. That item was also thrown out.

Mold was found inside the bulk ice machine, a repeat violation. Inspectors ordered the machine emptied, cleaned, and sanitized within 72 hours. Significant mold buildup was also found on food storage shelves inside the walk-in cooler. Those shelves must be cleaned and sanitized within seven days, according to the inspection report.

The facility’s dishwasher was found not dispensing chlorine at the required concentration. Inspectors primed the machine multiple times without success. The facility was ordered to stop using the machine for sanitizing until the problem is fixed. A service call was placed during the inspection.

No manager on duty, no health policy for workers

Inspectors arrived to find no person in charge present at the facility, a violation that was corrected when a manager came in during the inspection.

The facility also lacked a verifiable employee health policy for caregivers and resident assistants. State rules require all food employees to read and sign a health reporting form. Inspectors noted that a caregiver was cutting chicken in the kitchen at the time of the inspection. The facility was given 72 hours to bring employees into compliance.

An open canned drink was found on the food preparation counter where chicken was actively being cut. Additional personal cups and bottled drinks were also found in the kitchen. Employee drinks must be in a disposable cup with a lid and straw and kept away from food preparation areas. Those items were moved during the inspection.

Paperwork and equipment problems persist

The facility’s certified food safety manager certificate was not posted in public view, a problem that was also noted during the previous inspection. The most recent inspection report and the facility’s food service permit were also not displayed as required. Both were repeat violations.

Caregivers and servers were observed handling and preparing food without hair restraints. Inspectors noted that once employees begin cutting food or assisting with food orders, hair restraints are required regardless of their role.

Water was found leaking and pooling on the floor inside a reach-in cooler, and the walk-in cooler door was not self-closing. Both problems had been noted during the previous inspection and had not been corrected.

Another follow-up inspection is required.