Merrill Gardens at Burien

The facility had moderate compliance violations including failure to complete pre-admission assessments for 3 residents, incomplete TB testing documentation for staff, and inadequate service plans for 2 residents with mental health conditions that failed to provide guidance for monitoring symptoms and behaviors. The facility responded appropriately by acknowledging the violations, implementing corrective actions, and successfully passing a follow-up inspection on 11/14/2025 with no deficiencies found, demonstrating effective correction of systemic documentation and assessment procedures.

The facility failed to provide required documentation for annual fire-resistance-rated construction inspections and sprinkler system testing (three-year dry system full flow trip test and five-year fire department connection hydrostatic test). These are documentation violations involving critical life-safety systems, though no actual system failures were reported. The facility responded appropriately by correcting all violations within the follow-up period, as confirmed by the March 6, 2025 inspection showing approval status and all previously noted violations corrected.

This facility had multiple moderate compliance violations across TB testing, background checks, continuing education, and nurse delegation systems. Staff worked without required TB tests (up to 53 days past required timeframes), 8 staff had expired background checks (some over 2000 days expired), and 6 staff administered medications without proper delegation training or verification. The facility demonstrated a good response by conducting timely investigations, implementing corrective systems, completing all required testing and background checks, and achieving full compliance within 4 months as verified by follow-up inspections showing zero deficiencies.

The facility failed to complete required tuberculosis testing for two staff members, including incomplete two-step skin testing and missing follow-up testing for one employee with a negative QuantiFERON result. These violations placed residents at risk of potential TB exposure and were repeat deficiencies previously cited on March 14, 2024. The facility's response was inadequate, as evidenced by the uncorrected status of these violations at the May 16 follow-up visit, resulting in $400 in civil fines, though no actual TB exposure or resident harm was documented.

The March 2024 inspection identified multiple fire and life safety violations including improperly maintained fire doors, missing fire door inspection documentation, loaded sprinklers in kitchen/dining areas, an improperly mounted fire extinguisher, and non-functional emergency lighting in critical egress areas. The facility promptly corrected all violations, as confirmed by the follow-up inspection on April 30, 2024, demonstrating adequate corrective action and compliance within the required timeframe.

The February 2023 inspection identified 11 violations including fire safety system deficiencies (unsealed penetrations, malfunctioning fire doors, damaged sprinkler heads), life safety issues (missing CO detectors in laundry room, failed emergency lighting, inadequate testing documentation), and oxygen storage violations in resident rooms. The facility demonstrated a good response by correcting all violations within 6 weeks, as confirmed by the March 2023 follow-up inspection showing full compliance. While the violations affected multiple fire safety systems and represented a pattern of maintenance and documentation lapses, none posed immediate jeopardy to residents, and the facility's timely comprehensive corrections demonstrated appropriate commitment to regulatory compliance.