Union Says Three Staffers Suspended Due to Mice Nipping Incident

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Alberta Union of Provincial Employees has revealed that three staff members at a Lethbridge assisted-living facility have been suspended with pay in light of recently surfaced allegations claiming that a mice bit a resident’s face under their watch. A spokesperson of the workers’ union, Mark Wells, alleged that the workers will remain suspended from St. Therese Villa while Covenant Health, until a fair investigation is concluded.

Head of the union representing licensed practical nurses, health-care aides and general support staff at the villa, Wells, explained that he is not aware of the exact reason for the suspensions, though he claims to have anticipated that they could be linked to the alleged rodent-biting incident at the facility. He confirmed that his union will only ensure that the staff members are given their rights to a fair process. A health-care advocacy group, Friends of Medicare, revealed in a statement this week that staff at St. Therese Villa had found mice nibbling on the face of a disabled woman with dementia.

Meanwhile, Covenant Health claims to have consulted a doctor regarding the issue, who finds that the resident’s scabs were consistent with a viral condition, not mouse bites. The organization has agreed on the presence of a mouse in the woman’s room, though it denies that it came close to her body. A spokesperson representing the health-care provider, Rayne Kuntz, alleged that she could not comment on reports of staff suspensions, citing confidentiality rules.