Failure to Maintain Pest-Free Environment
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a pest-free environment, resulting in multiple residents reporting sightings of mice in their rooms and evidence of rodent activity throughout the building. Several residents, all of whom were cognitively intact or had only moderate cognitive impairment, described seeing mice in their rooms, finding mouse droppings in personal belongings, and, in one case, having a mouse on a resident's bed. Observations confirmed the presence of mouse droppings in resident rooms, open food items accessible to pests, and mouse bait boxes in use. Staff interviews revealed that sightings of mice were common knowledge, and one CNA stated she did not report a mouse sighting because mice were present throughout the building. Further inspection of the facility revealed unsanitary conditions conducive to pest infestation, including food debris on floors, open snacks in resident rooms, and a dry storage area in the kitchen with mouse droppings and a hole chewed through the wall. The maintenance room door was found propped open to the outside, providing potential access for rodents. The pest control company had informed the facility that bait boxes would not be effective as long as food sources remained available to the mice. Facility records confirmed an ongoing pest control program, but the presence of rodents and evidence of their activity indicated the program was not effective in preventing or eliminating the infestation.