On Saturday, when Jordan Bonaparte accompanied a relative to the emergency department of the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, he was taken aback to witness mice darting through the hallways.
However, a paramedic quickly reassured him.
“One of them mentioned that there are as many mice as there are patients here, if not more,” Bonaparte recounted. “My experience in the Infirmary’s emergency room certainly made that evident.”
After observing the mice for nearly six hours, he noted that his family member was shifted to a room. Almost immediately, he said, a mouse emerged and began climbing onto the patient’s bed.
“I’m fairly certain that if I hadn’t gotten up and stomped my feet, that mouse would have gone right up onto my bed to reach the food being served to her,” he remarked.
Jordan Bonaparte reported that this mouse was active in a family member’s room in the emergency department at the Halifax Infirmary. He stated that the mouse was so bold it attempted to climb into the bed to reach food. (Submitted by Jordan Bonaparte)
Nova Scotia Health has acknowledged that the situation at the QEII complex exceeds what is typically anticipated in a port city, where the presence of rodents is not uncommon.
Documents acquired by CBC News indicate that the cost of pest control for the health authority at both the QEII and Dartmouth General Hospital has dramatically increased over the past five years.
The budget for the QEII, which encompasses Halifax Infirmary, Victoria General, and Rehabilitation sites, surged from $35,942 to $323,075, marking a staggering 798 percent rise.
Dartmouth General experienced the highest percentage increase in the province during the same period, escalating from $9,545 to $120,012 last year, an increase of 1,157 percent.
“The frequency of these sightings has grown exponentially in recent years,” stated Chris Smith, the senior director of facilities operations at Nova Scotia Health.
“It’s easy to attribute this to our status as a port city, but that doesn’t alter our stance that rodents have no place in healthcare environments. We must do everything possible to keep them out and maintain clean, sanitary, and safe conditions.”
According to Nova Scotia Health, construction on the acute care tower at the QEII Health Sciences Centre has contributed to the rodent issue. (Build Nova Scotia)
Both facilities are surrounded by significant construction activities. Smith noted that when the QEII expansion project commenced, he anticipated it would attract pests.
“We expected an increase, but not to the extent we are currently witnessing.”
The health authority reported that over the past five years, it has captured 1,435 mice or other rodents within the QEII facilities, which span 2.9 million square feet. Additionally, 321 rodents were caught at Dartmouth General.
“Our buildings are aging, and the environment is complex. Each day, hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals enter and exit these buildings for medical appointments, supplies, and equipment,” Smith explained.
The IWK Health Centre reported that it had to undertake extensive efforts to address a pigeon infestation. (Paul Palmeter/CBC)
Meanwhile, the IWK Health Centre stated that mice are not their primary concern, despite being adjacent to the QEII.
Last year, the women and children’s hospital had to allocate $180,000 to address “unusual bird activity,” primarily related to pigeons.
The IWK opted not to provide an interview but issued a statement instead.
“This included significant cleanup of bird droppings and nesting sites, as well as installing netting and spikes in certain areas to prevent future bird presence,” the statement noted.
The IWK anticipates ongoing monitoring of the situation, which will incur some continued costs.
While the IWK’s cleanup is largely complete, Nova Scotia Health is still grappling with its rodent problem.
“This is a long-standing issue that will likely require several years to fully manage,” Smith remarked.
Smith mentioned that his department has implemented a three-part strategy. They have engaged professional exterminators who visit daily, encouraged staff to report sightings to better target areas for traps, and initiated external inspections of the buildings to identify small openings.
“Some of our efforts have resulted in 100 or 200 work orders for various cracks and crevices that needed to be sealed,” he elaborated.
“For any that remain open, we are actively addressing them. This is not a problem that can be resolved overnight.”
Smith urges staff and patients to remain vigilant and report any sightings.
Days after his visit to the hospital, Bonaparte remains unsettled by what he witnessed and believes people should demand higher standards from their healthcare facilities.
He uploaded a video of his experience to his podcast platforms called The Canadian Gothic, which garnered numerous comments from others suggesting that such conditions are commonplace.
“If your expectations for healthcare are so low that you’re okay with mice roaming the emergency room where individuals are fighting for their lives, I believe that is an unreasonably low standard to accept,” he stated.
MORE TOP STORIES
-
Survivor of intimate partner violence a ‘profile in courage,’ says federal justice minister
-
Halifax mayor welcomes $100M federal fund for AI-powered housing approvals
-
Halifax’s Brian Ahern, who produced albums by Anne Murray and Johnny Cash, dead at 81
-
‘Poignant’ Halifax Remembrance Day ceremony comes soon after Wainwright tragedy
-
Why the first U-boat to surrender in North America landed in this N.S. town