Officials eye bedbug complaint at Smithtown nursing home

The New York State Department of Health is investigating a complaint about a possible bedbug infestation in patients' rooms at a Smithtown nursing home, officials said Monday.

Pete Constansakes, spokesman for the state health department, Monday confirmed that, based on an anonymous tip received late last week, an investigation is under way into the Avalon Gardens Rehabilitation and Health Care Center.

"We received an anonymous complaint on November 17th and have initiated an investigation," Constansakes said Monday.

Administrators of the nursing home have not responded to numerous Newsday inquiries.

The state health department oversees nursing homes in New York and considers the presence of any type of bug a violation of state environmental health law, which requires these facilities to be kept free of insects and rodents, Constansakes said.

Bedbugs have made a resurgence in recent years after being beaten into retreat with DDT and other potent pesticides in the middle of the last century. The bugs colonize new spaces by hitching rides on clothing, bedding, and even cushions and padding in wheelchairs.