CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – The Agency for Health Care Administration found 23 deficiencies in the kitchen at Broward Health Coral Springs earlier this year, according to state records.
The unannounced inspection was done following a complaint the agency received.
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According to a 12-page report, an inspector found rotting and outdated food, a black-mold type substance on the walls, and hair in the food on a patient's breakfast tray.
READ: Health inspection report
According to state records:
- Carts used to transport patients' trays had an unknown black substance and were immediately removed from service.
- Vents above cooking equipment had a thick build up of black matter with a potential for that stuff to drop on food below and result in contamination.
- None of the cleaning buckets had any sanitizer in them.
- Sausage and hamburger patties were not being held at safe temperatures.
- Salisbury steak was undercooked and pink inside and out.
- Soup was at an unsafe temperature.
- Eight chicken pot pies had expired a week before the inspection.
- Turkey was also outdated.
Broward Health contracts food services to Aramark.
"This is an isolated incident and one we take very seriously," said Kerry Thomas, Regional Vice President of Operations for Aramark. "Food and safety sanitation is our number one priority."
Thomas said no patients had gotten sick because of the reported deficiencies in the kitchen. He added that none of the outdated food was going to be served to patients, and it wasn't discarded when it should have been.
State records show an interview with the cook revealed that he had no knowledge of how to perform temperature checks or what the required temperature was for storing hot foods.
Cooks also had to be asked three times to put on beard restraints for their facial hair, the records show.
A food service manager told the inspector proper cleaning and maintenance of the entire kitchen wasn't being done on a regular basis.
"That's just unacceptable," said Paul Echelard, chief operating officer of Broward Health. "We apologize for any of these type of things occurring. It is not the standard that we would like to have at Broward Health."
No employees were suspended or fired. Instead, they were re-trained and re-educated and are now being monitored closely, Echelard told Local 10.
"We have worked with Aramark for 13 years at that facility and in 13 years have had no significant issue with Aramark at all," he added.
The kitchen was never ordered shut. A thorough clean up was done, and new equipment was also been brought in.
The state plans on re-inspecting.
The three other hospitals run by Broward Health had no recent kitchen deficiencies.