Bedbugs cluster on the frame of Jerry Baumgartner's bed at Oxford House Apartments. Baumgartner lived with the insects in his apartment for a year, his daughter Denise Davis said.
DECATUR — Denise Davis says her father, Jerry Baumgartner, lived at Oxford House for three years and spent the last year of it battling bedbugs.
“It had gotten so bad he had to get his laundry, his clothes and linens, stored in trash bags in the trunk of his car,” Davis said. She recently took time off work and recruited friends to do the same to move Baumgartner from the apartment building to a friend's home in Missouri. “They would spray, but it didn't take care of the problem. He'd keep complaining about it but they wouldn't do anything.”
Oxford House, at 2700 N. Monroe St., offers apartments for seniors age 62 and older and people with disabilities. Spokeswoman Kiera Ellis said the building management did hire a pest control company to spray, but when they directed Baumgartner to dispose of his mattress and bed, where the insects were nesting, he didn't do that, and the spray failed to eradicate the bedbugs.
“The health and safety of our residents is our top priority,” she said. “As soon as we were made aware of a problem, we retained a vendor for remediation which was completed within 24 hours of the residents’ report. We remain committed to addressing any pest control concerns in a timely manner and appreciate our residents continued cooperation as we conduct treatments to ensure a clean and safe residence.”
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Davis said that her father, at age 82, isn't physically able to do things like remove a mattress and bed from his apartment, and with her living in another state, she wasn't able to help him until the recent move to Missouri to be near her. They put most of his belongings into storage and plan to “bug bomb” the storage unit to kill the bedbugs before he can use any of the things again. His bed and lift chair will both have to be replaced, as they were too infested.
While she was trying to assist long-distance, she called the Macon County Health Department, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Illinois Department on Aging, but none of those could help her, she said.
Kathy Wade, director of Environmental Health and Emergency Preparedness for the Macon County Health Department, said she does not remember such a call, but bedbugs are outside the health department's jurisdiction. Bedbugs don't transmit disease.
“When it comes to bedbug calls, I let them know it's their right as a tenant that property management is made aware (of the problem) and it is up to property management or the landlord to provide a livable habitat,” she said.
Uprooting her father from his home was hard on him, Davis said, and he also had COVID-19 several weeks ago, although he's well now.
“It put a big hindrance on him,” she said. “He wanted to go to the doctor and they'd see bedbugs and kick him out. I'm 500 miles away. There's only so much I could do. It was (all) a huge ordeal.”
Illinois officials have released trick-or-treating guidelines. Here are the highlights.
THE SUGGESTIONS
In a news release pointing out that “the safest way to celebrate is to stay home,” IDPH said trick-or-treaters this year should only travel with other members of their household.
Both trick-or-treaters and those passing out candy must wear masks and maintain a 6-foot distance at all times. That means the latter group should consider leaving the candy outside.
'BEST TOOLS'
“IDPH recognizes that some who will choose to gather together anyway, and instead of denying that reality, we are issuing guidance and recommendations for safer ways to celebrate together in person,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a statement. “Remember, we know what our best tools are: wearing our masks, keeping our distance, limiting event sizes, washing your hands, and looking out for public health and each other.”
WHAT ABOUT MASKS?
As for costumes, people will need to add proper face coverings to their getups. A Halloween mask usually doesn’t fit that bill, according to the release. If it’s impossible to breathe with both a cloth and costume mask on, trick-or-treaters must discard the latter one. And people should not eat the candy they collect without washing their hands, the release said.
One alternative that health officials suggested was setting up tables with spaced-out candy, so trick-or-treaters can do a lap while maintaining 6 feet of distance, perhaps with reserved time slots.
PHASE 4
The release also issued a reminder that haunted houses are prohibited under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s phase four reopening plan, but one-way haunted forests or walks are doable as long as 6-foot distance is maintained.
Adult or bar parties have to follow the limit of 50 people or under 50% of the building’s maximum capacity, whichever is fewer. Hay rides also must not exceed the 50% capacity.
Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter
