Gross Out: Arizona Heart Hospital Cafeteria Fails Inspection -- Again

Hospital cafeterias are renowned for serving food that's not so tasty, but we thought such a place would at least follow the rules. And yet the Arizona Heart Hospital near 19th Street and Thomas hasn't passed a county restaurant inspection since February 2007! The cafeteria has received failing marks...

By Amy Silverman

April 6, 2009

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Hospital cafeterias are renowned for serving food that's not so tasty, but we thought such a place would at least follow the rules.

And yet the Arizona Heart Hospital near 19th Street and Thomas hasn't passed a county restaurant inspection since February 2007! The cafeteria has received failing marks five times since then.

The most recent (and worst) inspection, which took place March 10, revealed that an employee handled a ready-to-eat roll with bare hands. Turkey left on the counter was far warmer than the 41 degrees it's supposed to be. Cans of beets, mandarin oranges and diced tomatoes were severely dented or dented along the seams.

Previous inspections have revealed corned beef and "cubed meat" that wasn't hot enough; ham and prime rib without proper date marks; tuna salad covered (a no no) and cooling in the refrigerator; an empty paper towel dispenser; and no "employees must wash hands" sign in the employee restroom.

And repeatedly, staff didn't have the proper licensing on hand.

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Amy Silverman is the former managing editor of Phoenix New Times. She is a two-time winner of the Arizona Press Club’s Journalist of the Year award. Her work has appeared on the radio show This American Life and in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Lenny Letter, and Brain, Child.