Failure to Maintain Effective Pest Control Program
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain an effective pest control program, resulting in the presence of mice in multiple resident rooms. Despite having a written pest control policy and a contract with an outside pest service, residents consistently reported seeing mice in their rooms, and observations confirmed the presence of dirty sticky traps and, in one case, a dead mouse in a kitchen office trap. Video and photographic evidence submitted to the Department of Health and Senior Services showed mice in resident rooms, including three mice on a glue trap next to a resident's bed. Housekeeping staff reported seeing mouse droppings daily in resident rooms and stated that, after reporting these findings to their supervisor, they were not given any new instructions or guidance on how to address the issue. Residents affected included individuals with diagnoses such as diabetes, depression, schizophrenia, heart failure, acute kidney failure, anemia, and high blood pressure. Some residents had no cognitive impairment, while others had moderate cognitive impairment and required varying levels of assistance with activities of daily living. The Maintenance Director indicated that the facility had only recently upgraded its pest control service to include more comprehensive interior monitoring, but this change had not yet resolved the ongoing rodent problem at the time of the survey.