ASHLAND — Ashland County Health Department reports show Discount Drug Mart has known about a rodent infestation issue for the past few months.
“Several employees mentioned that they have felt unwell while working in the facility, and have become ill after cleaning large amounts of rodent feces,” according to a food inspection report conducted on Tuesday.
The county agency ordered the store at 1631 Claremont Ave. closed during a meeting Tuesday night, citing an imminent health hazard from a severe rodent infestation.
The report also notes there are many gaps at the door of the loading dock, which allows mice and other pests to easily enter the building, a repeat violation.
The environmental health specialist also observed an accumulation of brown stagnant water on the floor in the storage area, which provides an easy source of water for rodents, according to the report.
The list of violations shows the Ashland County Health Department first received a complaint from a customer on May 24 after reportedly seeing a rat run across the floor of the store.
The department report said management was aware of the mouse problem, but disagreed there were rats in the store.
Management said in the report they had hired a pest control company that performed weekly inspections and baiting for the past six weeks.
That May 27 inspection found a “significant mouse population” and “some bags of chips had holes gnawed in them,” according to the report.
A ‘smorgasbord’ for mice
The health department performed another inspection on July 9, which found bags of dog food and corn pop bags chewed open. The inspector didn’t mince words.
“Drug Mart continues to have a significant mouse infestation,” reads the report from July. “Packaged food on bottom shelves (chips, pretzels, corn pops, dog and cat food) is a smorgasbord for mice. Today’s inspection found hundreds of mouse droppings on and under bottom shelves. There were also bags of dog food bags chewed open and holes in corn pop bags with product all around floor under shelf. There is a significant build up of dirt throughout the facility. Even the bait boxes are soiled.”
The inspector urged Drug Mart to “start cleaning in earnest” and to sweep and mop the floors at least twice weekly.
“Communicate with your pest control company to step up baiting and trapping efforts. Current method is not working,” reads the report.
Jill Hartson, director of the health department’s division of preparedness and prevention, said in an email Wednesday she would respond Thursday to Ashland Source’s question about why the health department did not order the closure sooner.
In a statement via email, a Discount Drug Mart representative said, “We take these matters seriously and are moving quickly to address the situation. Professional pest control specialists have been engaged, and we are conducting a thorough cleaning and sanitization of the facility.”
“Our Ashland store has served the community for over 30 years. We are committed to meeting all health department requirements before reopening and appreciate our customers’ patience during this process,” the statement read.
The ACHD cleared the Discount Drug Mart Pharmacy drive thru to reopen as of Wednesday, according to Hartson, who posted the update on the agency’s website.
The building remains closed until environmental health specialists from ACHD confirm the building’s unsanitary conditions are no longer a threat to the public’s health, she wrote.
On Wednesday, Hartson wrote, ACHD officials were escorted around the pharmacy to confirm there was no evidence of rodents in the pharmacy area. Discount Drug Mart pharmacy personnel will follow appropriate safety precautions as they walk through the building to the pharmacy area, she posted.
There was no evidence of rodent infestation at Millers (Hawkins) Market, which is located next to Discount Drug Mart, at the time of ACHD’s inspection on Tuesday.
ACHD will continue to work with the store to ensure a safe reopening, Hartson wrote in the online posting.
According to the company’s website, Discount Drug Mart, Inc., is an Ohio-based drug store chain that opened its first store in Elyria, Ohio in 1969.
Since that time, Drug Mart has established stores in over 20 Ohio counties, and currently operates 78 stores, including Dayton and Columbus.
