ASHLAND — The Ashland County Board of Health closed Discount Drug Mart after a meeting Tuesday night due to an imminent health hazard from a severe rodent infestation.
Discount Drug Mart, located at 1631 Claremont Ave., is closed to the public and its employees until the store is deemed fit to meet health and safety requirements, health department officials stated.
After the meeting adjourned, Ashland County Health Department staff posted the notice on Discount Drug Mart’s doors at roughly 8:30 p.m.
Director of Environmental Health Kimberly Wayman investigated a complaint about rodent activity at Discount Drug Mart on Tuesday morning.
Wayman concluded that severe infestation posed an imminent health hazard and spoke with people in the corporate office, who requested pest control efforts later that day.
She said employees have reported not feeling well. Some workers said that mice have jumped out of their clothes left hanging in staff areas.
The health department oversees food products, but Discount Drug Mart also has a pharmacy. Jurisdiction for how to handle any contaminated medication will fall to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, officials said.
Meanwhile, the health board noted that pharmacy prescriptions will be transferred to other nearby pharmacies.
The emergency condemnation also requires Discount Drug Mart to dispose of any contaminated products.
Jenna Gerwig, director of nursing, said she would reach out to the Ohio Department of Health for guidance on the procedure for product disposal and/or specifications.
Pat Donaldson, also an Ashland County director of environmental health, told the Discount Drug Mart shift manager that any food products near evidence of rodent activity must be discarded.
Wayman will visit the store Wednesday morning to see if pest control services improved the conditions. But she told Ashland Source she does not expect that pest control will be enough in terms of time or effort to remediate the rodent issue.
Wayman also checked Miller’s-Hawkins Market next door to Discount Drug Mart and found no evidence of rodent activity. Wayman has not checked Goodwill, which is also connected to the stores.