An assisted living facility in Collier County was found to be infested with bed bugs, according to an inspection report from the Agency for Healthcare Administration. Several residents at the Vanderbilt Beach Assisted Living Facility complained of being bitten by the bugs, and inspectors found evidence of them in half a dozen beds there, including discoloration on mattress covers from bed bugs that had been crushed.
Sandra Medrano, the facility's administrator, told inspectors she had stopped using professional pest control about 2 years ago. When she became aware of the bed bug infestation about 9 months ago, she said she began trying to treat it with store-bought bug spray.
In a letter to Medrano from the Agency for Healthcare Administration dated April 21, she was told that she must contract with a licensed pest control company to treat the entire facility by the end of that month. Erika Barraza of the Florida Department of Health did a follow-up inspection in mid-April.
"They had already purchased bed bug mattress covers that are designed to prevent bed bugs from entering the mattress," Barraza said.
The Agency for Healthcare Administration directed the facility to take multiple precautions against bed bugs, including drying laundry on high heat, and inspecting any medical equipment brought inside.
Medrano did not return calls to verify whether or not she had contracted with a pest control company.
