Failure to Maintain Effective Pest Control for Roaches and Mice
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain an effective pest control program to eliminate roaches and mice, affecting all 213 residents. Multiple residents reported seeing roaches in hallways, their rooms, the dining room on leftover food trays, and the shower room. Several residents also reported seeing mice in their rooms, in hallways, and in the nourishment room under the sink. One resident stated they had seen mice in their room since admission eight months prior, and another reported seeing mice coming through the baseboards every night despite foam being sprayed around the baseboards. Residents described instances where they personally disposed of dead mice or transported trapped mice to the nurses' station because staff did not respond to their reports. Staff interviews and direct observations further demonstrated ongoing pest issues and noncompliance with facility policies. CNAs reported seeing roaches throughout a third-floor unit, including resident rooms, and one CNA reported a resident killing a mouse and bringing it to the nursing station. Another CNA stated she sees roaches every day in all residents' rooms and that her response is simply to step on and kill them. A resident and the surveyor observed rodent droppings under the sink in the third-floor nourishment room, and the surveyor observed dead roaches next to a resident's nightstand and live roaches in the third-floor shower room behind a linen cart. Two residents reported a dead mouse in their room, with one placing it in a plastic bag and giving it to housekeeping, who then discarded it and stated they did not have glue traps. Environmental conditions around the dumpster area and administrative responses contributed to the deficiency. The surveyor and maintenance assistant observed two dumpsters with open lids and trash scattered around the area; the maintenance assistant acknowledged the lids should be closed and that such conditions can allow roaches and mice to enter the facility. The housekeeping supervisor also observed the same conditions and stated the dumpster area should be cleaned more than daily and that open lids and scattered trash can attract cats, varmints, and rodents. Despite facility policies requiring that outside dumpster lids be kept closed, the dumpster area kept clean, and a pest control program conducted on a regular and as-needed basis, the administrator stated she was unaware of mice in the facility, acknowledged only resident concerns about roaches, and confirmed that pest control services were limited to twice a month without additional treatment requests. These actions and inactions conflicted with the written pest control and waste management policies that assign responsibility to environmental services, maintenance, and housekeeping to prevent pest harborage and maintain closed, clean dumpsters.
We Help Long-Term Care Teams Stay Survey-Ready
We process and analyze inspection reports and plan of correction using AI to extract insights and trends so providers can improve care quality and stay ahead of compliance risks.