Mice are so prevalent at the Waterford Hospital that they often make their way into patients’ rooms, one employee says.
Eastern Health said it’s not aware of any increase in rodent activity, but an employee told The Telegram it’s necessary to jangle keys before entering a kitchen area to scare the mice away, or to stamp your feet in rooms to warn them off.
“They are so gross,” the employee told The Telegram.
“There’s cracks in the floors — they run in and out of the cracks.”
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‘It is what it is’
The employee said that while some staff say not to mind the mice, others are disgusted by the rodents. It’s not as bad in the daytime as at night, said the employee, noting noise scares the creepy critters off.
But the employee said the mice run around in patients’ rooms, where patients have snacks, and they are bold in kitchen areas, even though there are traps around.
Eastern Health acknowledged facilities of the Waterford’s vintage can be pest magnets. Parts of the hospital date to 1855.
“Unfortunately, with multiple entries and heavy, around-the-clock traffic, hospitals, such as the Waterford Hospital, can be easy targets for mice and rodents,” said a statement from the health authority.
There are mousetraps around the building, ultrasonic rodent repellers inside and out, and weekly visits by a pest-control company.
As well, Eastern Health said infrastructure support staff routinely fix potential entry points and staff have been told to store food in sealable, rubber containers.
Jerry Earle, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE), is a former employee-relations officer for the Waterford, and before joining NAPE was a paramedic whose work often brought him to the site.
Earle said Eastern Health has always done what it could to address the mice problem, but the bottom line is the enormous physical structure is outdated.
Earle said dayshift employees such as facility management and housekeeping have reported seeing mice, and others on the night shift see them often as well.
“I don’t think best practices would eliminate the problems,” Earle said, noting the hospital is in desperate need of being replaced.
“It’s another indicator,” he said. “The facility provides invaluable mental-health services. Staff there — nursing, licensed practical nursing, support — do their very best to provide services in a most challenging environment. … Absolutely for the staff the first priority is always the patient.”
Earle said the mice problem has been routinely raised for years as an occupational health and safety concern.
Earle noted this is the time of year mice try to get in, so sightings would be more frequent.
He doubts Eastern Health would ever solve the problem, even if it had pest control onsite 24-7.
Eastern Health also said it has trained staff to report any rodent activity, drains are cleaned and inspected to prevent attracting rodents and there are waste-management policies to ensure garbage is properly taken care of.
Noting the replacement of the Waterford has been promised by the province for years, Earle said a decent facility for mental-health services is critical.
But the union doesn’t favour a public-private partnership.
In a recent interview with The Telegram, Health Minister Dr. John Haggie said the province doesn’t have the cash to replace the Waterford Hospital, and a public-private partnership may be the only solution.
The province has contracted EV consultants to produce a value-for-money analysis on replacing the Waterford.
But NAPE is concerned if the province went with a public-private arrangement — such as a leaseback from the private sector — it could end up paying much more than a government-tendered project over time, like renting to own an appliance.
While groups such as the employers’ council might be lobbying government to curtail spending, Earle said, the Waterford is too important for the government to not make good on its promise of replacement, and just making the leap to spend money upfront would save money in the long run, as well as benefit people who need mental-health services.
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