Highland Chateau Health: Mice in Resident Rooms - MN
That assessment covered more than three months of documented sightings at the facility.
Between May 29 and August 30, 2025, staff and residents filed 35 pest sighting reports. Mice were found in resident rooms, near heat registers, and under beds. They appeared in hallways, in the dining room, by the doors leading into the kitchen, near the smoking patio doors, and at nurses' stations. One report documented a resident seeing a rat at a nurses' station. The sightings were concentrated between 3:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. Some of the mice seen were babies.
The administrator acknowledged the facility had a known rodent problem. She told inspectors that earlier in 2024, the facility had used a pest control service that didn't seem to be working, so they switched to a different company in October 2024. By September 2025, nearly a year into the new contract, mice were still appearing in resident rooms.
She said she was unaware the previous administrator, who had recently left the facility, had ever contacted the current pest control company to ask why the problem persisted. "It might be time to look at another service," she said.
When inspectors told her that staff and residents had recently reported new sightings she hadn't heard about, she said she was concerned staff had "become desensitized" to reporting them. She said she would need to reeducate staff on reporting. She also acknowledged that mice were dirty and carried disease.
The pest control contractor, identified in inspection records as PCS-Q, came to the facility weekly. He checked the Pest Sighting Reports, inspected bait stations and traps, and examined the exterior of the building. He told inspectors he had not found any new holes on the outside of the building. His supervisors, he said, were aware of the situation.
When inspectors pressed him on why he didn't believe mice could be fully eliminated, PCS-Q said the animals simply did not seem affected by his efforts. He had no explanation for why the interventions weren't working.
The facility's own pest control policy, last revised in September 2023, listed mice and rats explicitly among the pests the program was meant to prevent, contain, and eradicate. It called for a professional contractor, regular inspections, and staff to report all sightings to maintenance or environmental services for intervention. It required food in resident rooms to be stored in covered containers.
The administrator told inspectors she spoke with residents about keeping food contained in their rooms. Whether that conversation happened once or repeatedly, and whether it had any effect on the mouse activity near resident beds and heat registers, the inspection record does not say.
What the record does show is 35 documented sightings over 14 weeks, concentrated in the overnight hours when residents were in their rooms, and a contractor who arrived each week, checked his traps, and left without a solution. Residents and staff both saw the mice. The sightings included the dining room where residents ate their meals.
The administrator said she might need to switch pest control companies again.
The federal inspection, conducted September 19, 2025, classified the violation as having minimal harm or potential for actual harm and noted that many residents were affected.
Mice were still being seen in the building at the time inspectors arrived.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Highland Chateau Health and Rehabilitation Center from 2025-09-19 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 27, 2026 · Our methodology
Highland Chateau Health And Rehabilitation Center in SAINT PAUL, MN was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 19, 2025.
That assessment covered more than three months of documented sightings at the facility.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.