Bedbugs found lurking in linens, under mattresses at SC senior facility, DHEC says
Bedbugs lurked in the linens and under mattresses at a senior living center, leading to citations in South Carolina, officials said.
Carriage House Senior Living of Florence was cited in August and September after insects were found in at least four resident rooms during recent inspections, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
A representative for Carriage House, roughly 70 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach, declined comment in an email Tuesday afternoon to McClatchy News.
“We have no bedbug activity as of... October 4th,” the center told WPDE in a statement. “We have no further comments. We will continue to work diligently with DHEC.”
On Aug. 31, the state health department said it was conducting a routine inspection when “bedbug like insects” were spotted on pillows and a bed in two residents’ rooms. There was also a strong urine-like smell in one room, officials said.
In response, a pest control business provided treatment, and a room was “deep cleaned to remove strong urine odor,” according to a report that lists corrective actions as of Sept. 15.
But the next day, a follow-up inspection revealed bugs in several rooms.
“The facility was not free of vermin,” DHEC said. “Bedbug like insects were observed on and under mattresses and bed linens.”
By Sept. 17, Carriage House in a report said it had cleaned up the affected rooms.
“All linens were washed and heat treated,” a facility representative wrote. “These rooms will be monitored daily to ensure they continue to be free of bugs. Room (redacted) had a recliner with bugs observed in the chair. This chair was thrown out immediately and replaced with a new chair.”
To prevent further incidents, Carriage House said it would spray each week, putting rooms with bugs in them on a more frequent schedule. It also said its workers will look for bugs, stay in contact with a pest control company and treat rooms if insects are found in them.
Other complaints
It’s not the first time Carriage House has faced bedbug-related allegations.
In 2015, workers said almost 60 of the facility’s 80 beds were infested, scnow.com reported.
“The bedbugs are crawling on the residents,” housekeeper Malikah Washington told the newspaper at the time. “I feel this is very unfair for the staff and the residents. We’re just scared we’re going to take them home.”
A facility owner reportedly didn’t return calls about the allegations at the time, and no one answered the phone to provide comment when a state investigation found bedbugs again in 2019, according to WBTW.
More recently, Carriage House is also facing two other pending investigations.
“One complaint was that the facility does not have an adequate food supply, and the second complaint was that an individual was denied a visit away from the facility and there was not an administrator on duty,” Laura Renwick, a DHEC spokesperson, told McClatchy News in an email Tuesday. “The agency is following up with the facility about these complaints.”
In another update, the agency said it would also take action against Carriage House due to “repeat violations that negatively impact the health, safety or wellbeing of the facility’s residents.” State officials plan to release additional details within the next few weeks.
“DHEC takes seriously its responsibility to ensure our state’s long-term care facilities provide safe and quality care to their residents,” Renwick said.
What are bedbugs?
Bedbugs are insects that typically live in bedding. Their only source of food is the blood of animals and people, so one sign of an infestation is getting bite marks while sleeping, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other indications include finding bedbugs or their exoskeletons in bedding, seeing blood spots on furniture and smelling a “sweet musty odor,” health officials said.
“Bedbugs have been found in five-star hotels and resorts and their presence is not determined by the cleanliness of the living conditions where they are found,” the CDC said on its website.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 8:14 AM with the headline "Bedbugs found lurking in linens, under mattresses at SC senior facility, DHEC says."
