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Be Prepared for Rodents This Winter What happens when rodents make themselves at home inside healthcare facilities? By Zia Siddiqi, Ph.D., B.C.E., Director of Quality Systems, Orkin, LLC
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ews travels fast. The news may come in the form of patient and guest complaints and negative online reviews. And if media picks up the story, your reputation could be lost to a wildfire. A hospital for veterans in Florida came under fire earlier this year for a rodent infestation. The story made national headlines, drawing enough attention that state political figures eventually weighed in. A hospital in Mississippi similarly dealt with rats and mice in its kitchen. In 2014, a hospital in Washington, D.C., faced an infestation of rodents so bad that it was ordered to pay emotional distress damages to a former employee, according to a story in The Huffington Post. Rodents pose a threat to healthcare facilities year round, but their activity picks up when the temperatures cool off. Much like us, they need food, water and shelter to survive. And like us, warm shelter becomes particularly important during the cold months. These pests have adapted to live alongside people and exploit their resources. In fact, some mice that take shelter inside due to weather will never leave and will permanently become indoor mice – in Chicago, where Orkin performed more rodent treatments in 2014 than in any other city, many mice have never seen the outside. Aside from the hits to your reputation and bottom line these pests can take, rodents also pose several health threats. Rats and mice can carry hundreds of pathogens and transmit deadly diseases like lymphocytic
choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome. Ticks, mites and fleas can feed on infected rodents and then can transmit diseases like pox, plague and typhus indirectly to humans, putting patients, guests and your staff at risk. While rodents are dangerous pests that must be taken seriously, there are solutions that can help prevent these serious problems rodents pose. Proactive facility maintenance, sanitation, rigorous inspections and exclusion practices can help keep rats and mice out of your facility, whether you manage a hospital, nursing home or doctor’s office. Work with a pest management professional to implement a custom Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program for your facility, and follow these guidelines to shut rodents out in the cold this winter.
Know What Rodents Are Looking For – And Take It Away
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odents are more like us than we may realize. Just like humans, rats and mice need food, water and safe shelter to survive, and they want a warm place to spend the cold months. To rodents, healthcare facilities look like a five-star hotel, the perfect place to spend the winter. The plethora of food sources, numerous potential entry points and hiding places in your facility can all be perfect amenities for rodents, which can in turn lead to an infestation. To help keep rodents from getting inside your facility, the first step is to remove incentives for them to
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