Claridge House: Infection Control Violations - FL
NORTH MIAMI, FL - A complaint investigation at Claridge House Nursing & Rehabilitation Center revealed staff repeatedly failed to follow enhanced barrier precautions when caring for residents with tracheostomies, potentially exposing vulnerable patients to infection risks.
Critical Lapses in Protective Equipment Use
Surveyors documented multiple instances where nursing staff failed to wear required protective equipment while providing care to residents with tracheostomies and feeding tubes. These residents required enhanced barrier precautions due to their indwelling medical devices, which significantly increase infection risk.
On January 22, 2025, inspectors observed a registered nurse supervisor entering a resident's room to check on a patient who was experiencing visible distress with vomiting and gurgling sounds. The supervisor performed hand hygiene and donned gloves but failed to wear the required protective gown before examining the resident. This occurred despite the facility's own policies mandating full protective equipment during such high-contact care activities.
The following day, surveyors documented even more concerning lapses. A resident with a tracheostomy was observed in significant distress—coughing, drooling, and displaying facial grimacing that indicated pain. Despite enhanced barrier precaution signs posted at the room entrance and personal protective equipment available just outside the door, two nursing staff members entered without wearing gowns. The supervisor was observed speaking in close proximity to the struggling resident without wearing a mask and used his stethoscope to check bowel sounds but failed to clean the device afterward before leaving the room.
Medical Implications of Infection Control Breaches
Patients with tracheostomies face substantially elevated infection risks compared to the general nursing home population. The tracheostomy creates a direct pathway to the lungs, bypassing the body's natural filtering mechanisms in the nose and throat. When combined with feeding tubes, these medical devices create multiple entry points where bacteria can enter the body.
Enhanced barrier precautions exist specifically to protect these vulnerable residents from multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs)—bacteria that have developed resistance to common antibiotics and can cause life-threatening infections. The failure to wear protective gowns during tracheostomy care and tube feeding management creates opportunities for cross-contamination between patients. Similarly, failing to clean shared medical equipment like stethoscopes between patients can transfer harmful bacteria directly from one resident to another.
When staff members work in close contact with residents who have respiratory symptoms—particularly those with tracheostomies who are coughing—not wearing masks poses risks in both directions. The resident can be exposed to pathogens carried by staff members, while staff can potentially inhale respiratory secretions.
Violation of Facility's Own Standards
The documented failures were particularly problematic because they violated the facility's own written infection control policies. Claridge House's infection prevention procedures, last revised in June 2023, explicitly require staff to prevent, identify, and control the spread of infections among residents, staff, and visitors.
The facility's enhanced barrier precautions policy, updated in April 2024, specifically mandates that protective equipment be used during high-contact care activities for residents with indwelling medical devices. Both nursing staff members acknowledged during interviews that they had not followed these infection prevention protocols when caring for the residents.
The policy also requires that all shared medical equipment be cleaned using EPA-approved disinfectant effective against tuberculosis and Hepatitis B. The failure to clean the stethoscope between patient contacts represented a direct violation of this requirement and created a tangible pathway for disease transmission.
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: September 19, 2026 · Our methodology
CLARIDGE HOUSE NURSING AND REHABILITATION CENTER in NORTH MIAMI, FL was cited for violations during a health inspection on January 24, 2025.
These residents required enhanced barrier precautions due to their indwelling medical devices, which significantly increase infection risk.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.