The hospital says offsite meals are being served after a pest issue forced it to close its kitchen and other areas.
AUSTIN, Texas — Parts of St. David’s South Austin Medical Center are temporarily closed as hospital officials work to address a pest problem discovered during an ongoing renovation project.
The hospital confirmed it has shut down its kitchen, enhanced pest-control services and increased cleaning protocols while crews work to resolve the issue. Hospital leaders said the pest activity was found in an isolated area that was disrupted during construction.
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The medical center, located along James Casey Street in South Austin, has been undergoing renovations in recent months. According to reporting by KVUE’s media partners at the Austin American-Statesman, the hospital is dealing with a rat infestation.
KVUE asked St. David’s whether rats were the specific pest involved, but the hospital did not confirm that report.
Pest control experts say construction projects can sometimes force rodents and other pests out of their usual habitats and into nearby buildings.
“We’ve had customers that haven’t had issues for years and years and years, and then all of a sudden, somebody next door or a neighboring property starts bulldozing something, and all of a sudden, rodent evidence starts showing up,” said Steven Thweatt, service manager at Robert’s Termite & Pest Control. “A lot of times, homeowners and property managers are kind of flabbergasted because they haven’t had to deal with the situation in so long, or maybe ever, until that construction takes place.”
Despite the kitchen closure, hospital officials said patients, visitors and staff continue to have access to meals. Food is being prepared offsite and delivered to the hospital in accordance with health and safety standards, according to St. David’s.
The hospital has also brought in rotating food trucks to provide additional meal options on campus.
Thweatt said the measures being taken are encouraging and align with standard practices used to limit exposure and address pest activity. However, he noted that fully resolving an issue can take time.
“I wouldn’t expect anything to happen in the next couple of days,” Thweatt said. “You’re probably looking at a few weeks at least, maybe a few months to get a handle on something like this. I wouldn’t expect anything to get fixed in the next few days.”
KVUE also reviewed the hospital’s most recent routine food safety inspection. Records show that St. David’s South Austin Medical Center received a score of 94 out of 100 during an inspection conducted in March. The inspection report did not note any pest-related concerns.
Hospital officials have not provided a timeline for when the kitchen is expected to reopen.