A name reveals a lot about a creature. For instance, honey bees make honey, sloths are naturally lazy and slow, and bed bugs, you guessed it, like hanging around beds. This by logic means that where there are more beds, there will be a higher chance of bed bug activity, and what place has more beds than a hospital? If you are in charge of the maintenance and wellbeing of a hospital and its staff and patients here in Kansas City, bed bugs are a problem you need to have answers for. Luckily, we have just what you need.
Why Hospitals Are Bed Bug Magnets
If you didn’t know, bed bugs are traveling pests that get from place to place by hitching rides on items that people carry. They can use anything from bags to furniture to get to where they need to go and are constantly on the move looking for a new bed to settle down on. Anywhere that experiences a higher flow of people, has a higher chance of having bed bug activity. When it comes to hospitals, not only is there a high flow of human traffic, but there is also a good reason for bed bugs to stick around, a reliable source of food. As long as patients keep getting cycled in and out, bed bugs will always have a meal of blood to eat late at night when they are hungry. This combined with the fact that anyone of your patients could be carrying bed bugs makes your hospital a magnet for bed bug activity.
How You Can Reduce The Risk Of Bed Bugs
To reduce the chances of a bed bug infestation in your medical facility, there are some preventative measures you can take. To start, we recommend training your staff in what bed bug bites look like. If a patient comes in with bites on their body either in a straight line or a zig-zag pattern, there is a good chance they are dealing with bed bugs at home. If a live bed bug or bed bugs are found on them or on one of their belongings, capture it in a sealed container and order for their room to be cleaned immediately. Let housekeeping know to store bed linens and other potentially infected clothing inside airtight plastic bags so that no bed bugs can escape on the way to the wash. Do the same for any personal items belonging to the patient. Finally, have the patient showered or bathed, changed into a fresh pair of clothing, and moved to a non-infected room.
In addition to this, train your staff to know the signs bed bugs leave behind. If a room has been infected for a long enough period of time, you will begin to notice blood stains on bed linens, dots of reddish-black fecal matter around the room, and even tiny egg casings in cracks and crevices if you look hard enough. If these signs are found, it is time to give the professionals a call.
How Pinnacle Can Help With Bed Bugs
If you suspect your hospital is under attack by hungry bed bugs, the professionals here at Pinnacle Solutions are here to help. We have the tools and equipment to thoroughly investigate your hospital for signs of bed bugs and target treatments to areas that have been infested. This is all done as quickly and effectively as possible to get your hospital back up and running as it should be.
Don’t let bed bugs threaten your patients and reputation, partner with Pinnacle Solutions today and find protection from pests you can rely on.