When a food inspector found “a few live cockroaches” in the production kitchen at UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest a year ago, it was chalked up as a moderate vermin violation. The hospital was ordered to get rid of the insects, but was still given an “A” rating, which generally indicates a satisfactory level of safety and cleanliness.
An inspection less than two months later found no cockroaches, but fast-forward three more months, and a roach infestation was so extensive the inspection was cut short so management could start dealing with the vermin.
inewsource uncovered the situation at the UCSD hospital during a review of public health inspections conducted on university properties, including UCSD, San Diego State and Cal State San Marcos. Health and public safety is not enforced by the county in these eateries and kitchens. An inspection system is run by the individual universities themselves.
The Hillcrest medical center is a nationally-ranked teaching hospital and part of the UCSD Health System. Officials at UCSD declined requests for an interview.
Jacqueline Carr, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said in an email the production kitchen is where food is cooked for patients and employees. Some of that food is served in the adjacent cafeteria, where staff and visitors eat. The cafeteria is inspected separately.
Carr wrote that management dealt with the August cockroach infestation inspection “promptly.”
“The staff in Hillcrest fully cooperated with the inspector and jointly developed a corrective action plan,” she said in her email. “The response included bringing in a specialized pest control company the same day to treat the kitchen.”
Carr said the kitchen was under renovation and there were small holes in the exterior walls, suggesting that’s how the cockroaches got into the kitchen. The inspection report found parts of the wall “torn and damaged.”
“The holes have since been closed and sealed,” Carr said.
In the latest inspection on file of the production kitchen from March 6, no vermin issues were noted. The kitchen received a score of 94, enough for an “A” rating. During the entire series of inspections, the kitchen was never closed down.
Bacteria and allergens
Cockroaches carry viruses and bacteria. The inspection report said they can contaminate food “they walk on and the surfaces they contact.
Jesse Alvarez, a supervisor at Colonial Pest Management, has experience exterminating all kinds of vermin, including roaches at commercial and residential properties. He didn’t comment on the UCSD case, but was asked to explain how a few cockroaches turn into an infestation in a matter of months.
Usually restaurant and home infestations are a species called German cockroaches, he said.
“They multiply really, really fast,” he said. “Each egg carries 30 to 60 babies in it.”
Cockroaches, Alvarez said, have had the opportunity “since the beginning of time to hang out with us and learn how to deal with us.”
Alvarez said cockroaches can carry bacteria such as e-coli and salmonella. They can also leave a distinctive smell “like body odor and mold and humidity” because of the feces and skin left behind from molting. Those droppings contain allergens that can trigger asthma attacks and allergic reactions.
The production kitchen at UCSD was inspected by Jeff Eisert, an environmental health and safety specialist at UCSD in March 12, 2014, again on May 1 and then on Aug. 26, when he found the infestation.
Eisert noted “multi-staged cockroaches” in the “food production line, in the cooking equipment at the cooking line, along the walls of the cook’s line and in the side production areas of the main kitchen.” The report directed the kitchen to “take all measures necessary to eradicate this infestation.”
The cockroaches were marked as a major violation. However, the facility did not receive a final grade because Eisert stopped the inspection until the cockroach infestation was resolved.
During the following month, UCSD’s Environment, Health and Safety department conducted two scheduled re-inspections. The reports for Sept. 12 and 26 noted large improvements in the infestation, as well as repairs to the facility’s walls. The facility received “A” ratings during both inspections.
A final re-inspection of the production kitchen on Oct. 21 found “only one live adult cockroach.” In his report, Eisert instructed the production kitchen to “continue to chemically treat this facility.” The production kitchen received an “A” rating with a score of 97.
In her emailed statement about the production kitchen, Carr noted that “over the last 12 months, the kitchen has consistently received an ‘A’ grade for cleanliness and safety.”
Not the only vermin problem
The production kitchen wasn’t the only food facility at the UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest to experience vermin issues last year. Roaches also were found in the hospital’s cafeteria.
In an April 28, 2014 inspection, UCSD’s Eisert wrote “a small infestation of cockroaches was noted in the main kitchen.” A Sept. 26 inspection of the cafeteria didn’t find any vermin, and it maintained an “A” grade.
Alvarez, with Colonial Pest Management, said dealing with an infestation at an apartment or commercial property involves eliminating any sources of food, water and shelter for the cockroaches, and then cleaning up after them.
“The clients need to vacuum, they need to vacuum up the eggs, they need to vacuum up the dead roaches,” he said.
Otherwise, Alvarez said, any remaining cockroaches can use the feces and carcasses as food sources to keep their population going.
