Hospital pest woes blamed on renovations; Official says rodents do not pose imminent he... - 0 views
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from heather bc privatization food health and safety safety hospital
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Calgary Herald Mon Jan 19 2015
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Rats scurrying down hospital hallways, chewing through wires and nibbling on food scraps near the cafeteria. These are a few of the recent rodent sightings reported by public health inspectors, nurses and staff members at B.C. Women's and Children's Hospital in Vancouver.
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Inspectors issued verbal and written directives after the Dec. 22 visit, according to the environmental health inspection report, which notes: "Minimal pest proofing has been completed to date which is contributing to the difficulty in controlling and abating the rodent activity with the food services." The report also mentions: "A number of food products have been chewed through resulting in products being discarded," and "wiring of equipment chewed on in the retail side which also raises a safety concern." The most recent inspection report lists a "Target Completion Date" for rodent control recommendations as Jan. 27. Taki said the hospital has an action plan in place with the help of the pest control company. "We've asked them to almost quadruple-up on the service until everything gets under control," said Taki.
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A surging rat population in the hospital's cafeteria and food preparation area has prompted management to step up rodent control efforts in recent weeks. Inspectors believe that despite the increase, the rodents do not pose an imminent health risk to the hospital's patients, visitors or staff, said Richard Taki, regional director of health protection for Vancouver Coastal Health. But the results of last month's inspection highlight the hospital's ongoing challenges dealing with vermin, a situation hospital management and health inspectors say has been exacerbated by demolition and construction work in recent months. Inspection reports from 2013 show Vancouver Coastal Health had previously identified issues with rats and mice in the hospital cafeteria and more recently, last month's inspection found signs the problem had worsened.
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"I don't think it's any different from any restaurant that has a rodent problem. They have rodents, they're under control, they've got a company looking after it. They're working toward resolving a problem, but you know, we live in a city that has rats everywhere." Nurses have seen the pest problem worsen, along with general cleanliness, said Claudette Jut, regional chair of the B.C. Nurses Union council. The Hospital Employees Union has identified the issue of short staffed cleaning and food service in the hospital and raised it "on several occasions" with the private contractor who employs the workers, said HEU spokesman Mike Old. "It's hard for us to tell what exactly has contributed to the rat infestation," said Old. "But it's a problem, I think, that the delivery of services is so badly fragmented because of privatization."
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Frank Levenheck, director of facilities management for B.C. Women's and Children's Hospital, said demolition and construction on the hospital campus has contributed to the cafeteria's rodent issue. Over the past three weeks, hospital management has increased its efforts, Levenheck said, which includes working to seal holes in the building that act as entry points for vermin, more frequent cleaning and more frequent visits from the pest control company. Demolition for the hospital redevelopment began last May. Excavation began in August and is scheduled to be complete in February. Eight months before demolition began, hospital management had been directed to improve rodent control, records show. A VCH inspection on Sept. 3, 2013 found issues with "Inadequate Insect/Rodent Control," noting: "Areas have not been cleaned and Manager not aware if Pest Control has been in to specifically address these new sightings. Communication between services found to be poor and lacking in followup."
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A week later, a followup reinspection report dated Sept. 10, 2013, noted: "Rat droppings still to be THOROUGHLY cleaned from underneath the heater vents in the production area. Noted mouse droppings in warehouse areas have not been cleaned up." The next Inspection Report, from July 2014, does not specify whether the rodent situation had improved or worsened since the problems noted in the report from the September before. The July 2014 report was the most recent posted to the Vancouver Coastal Health website until Postmedia News contacted the health authority this month to ask about inspections. Taki acknowledged the Dec. 22 inspection and provided Postmedia with a copy of the report, which was subsequently uploaded to the health authority's website.
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Kristy Anderson, a spokeswoman from the provincial Ministry of Health, said if an inspector finds a food service establishment is not responsive to food safety notices or orders, the establishment "could be fined or ultimately be required to shut down until the situation is remedied. To our knowledge this has never occurred in a hospital or health authority-run facility."
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Eight months before demolition, management at B.C. Women's and Children's Hospital had been directed to improve rodent control, records show.