Park Terrace Care Center: Bed Bug Cover-Up - NY
Resident 199, who has vascular dementia, Type 2 diabetes and colon cancer, lived in a room that required professional pest control treatment on June 10, 2024. The facility's pest elimination log documented bed bugs in the resident's room. A pest control service report confirmed the room was treated with Bedlam and Transport Mikron pesticides.
Nobody told the family.
When inspectors interviewed the resident's representative on September 2, 2025, they said they were never notified about the bed bug infestation. The resident's cognitive assessment showed they had modified independence with daily decision-making and both short and long-term memory problems, making family notification crucial for care decisions.
The facility's own policy, revised in May 2025, required staff to provide "appropriate and timely information about changes relevant to a resident's condition or changes in room to the parties who will make decisions about care, treatment, and preferences."
A registered nurse told inspectors on September 9 that she was unaware Resident 199 had ever had bed bugs in their room. She said the social worker was responsible for notifying families when residents had bed bug infestations.
The Director of Nursing confirmed that policy during her interview the same day. She said families should be informed by their social worker when bed bugs are found in a resident's room. The facility also encourages families to let staff handle the resident's laundry so it can be washed at high temperatures to kill any remaining bed bugs.
But the Director of Social Work offered a different explanation. During her interview, she said either nursing or social services could notify families about bed bugs. She acknowledged that when Resident 199's room was infested, the social services department was short-staffed and she was covering four floors by herself.
The director added that family communications about bed bugs "would not necessarily be documented in the progress notes."
Inspectors found no documented evidence that anyone ever told Resident 199's representative about the infestation. The failure violated both facility policy and state regulations requiring immediate notification of situations affecting residents.
The case illustrates how communication breakdowns can leave families uninformed about conditions that directly impact their loved ones' living environment. Bed bug infestations pose particular challenges in nursing homes, where residents may be unable to report problems themselves and where personal belongings can harbor the insects.
For Resident 199's family, the lack of notification meant they couldn't take steps to protect items brought from home or discuss treatment options with facility staff. They remained unaware of the infestation for more than a year until state inspectors uncovered the failure during their complaint investigation.
The inspection occurred as part of a recertification and abbreviated survey in September 2025. Inspectors reviewed 40 residents' records and found the notification failure affected one resident. They classified the violation as causing minimal harm or potential for actual harm to few residents.
Park Terrace Care Center operates at 59-20 Van Doren Street in Corona. The facility must submit a plan of correction to continue participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs. The deficiency findings become public 14 days after the facility receives the inspection report.
The case highlights ongoing challenges nursing homes face in maintaining clear communication protocols, particularly when departments are short-staffed. While facility leadership acknowledged their policies required family notification, the actual implementation failed when it mattered most for Resident 199 and their representative.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Park Terrace Care Center from 2025-09-09 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
PARK TERRACE CARE CENTER in CORONA, NY was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 9, 2025.
Resident 199, who has vascular dementia, Type 2 diabetes and colon cancer, lived in a room that required professional pest control treatment on June 10, 2024.
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.