Chicago vs. Bed Bugs

*Update (05/07/09): Text of the legislation is now available via The Library of Congress; the link to the Act below has been modified accordingly.

Breaking news, folks.  According to National Pest Management Association, Rep. G.K. Butterfield introduced the brand new Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009 (or H.R.2248) in the United States House of Representatives today.  Text of the legislation is not yet available through The Library of Congress, but according to NPMA

Introduced today by Congressman G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, the multi-faceted legislation provides critical resources to state and local officials to combat bed bug outbreaks in lodging facilities, residential housing and other settings. Specifically, the bill:

• Establishes a state bed bug inspection grant program within the Department of Commerce for states to use to help fund inspections of lodging facilities;

• Expands an existing grant program managed by the Department of Health and Human Services that already provides funds to states for cockroach and rodent control to be used for bed bug prevention and control;

• Requires public housing agencies to include in annual plans, required by the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, measures necessary for the management of bed bugs, similar to their current responsibility to manage cockroaches; and

• Directs the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the public health implications of bed bugs.

Impressive. I’m so happy to see that this act includes a new federal grant program to fund inspection in lodging facilities as well as expansion of an existing grant program to allow funding for prevention and control methods in the public sector through the Department of Health and Human Services.   And I really like to see that the act accounts for our public housing agencies, which have, in my opinion anyway, been neglected and overlooked and underfunded when it comes to bed bug infestations for entirely too long.

I’m excited to see the full text of the legislation.  For now, we extend our wholehearted thanks to Representative Butterfield and to the eight cosponsors of the act (including Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois– thank you!!) for addressing the spread of bed bug infestations in our country.  And we commend National Pest Management Alliance for so readily supporting the act:

“NPMA strongly commends Congressman Butterfield for his leadership on this very important issue,” said Bob Rosenberg, NPMA’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. “His legislation will grant state and local governments, in concert with the professional pest management industry, the necessary resources to more effectively and aggressively manage bed bug infestations.”

Maybe we really are all in this together after all.  I was starting to wonder!

And thanks again, Renee, for the tip!

Wow.  As Pest Management Professional reports, the Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force launched its website today, and it is impressive, folks. Looks to me like Dr. Susan Jones (a mastermind behind the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Joint Task Force Strategic Plan) found a way to help her fellow Ohioans after all.

Here’s what the task force is all about (emphasis is mine):

The Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force formed in November 2008 because of the growing number of bed bug infestations in Franklin County. It is a collaborative endeavor including representatives from local governments, health departments, social service agencies, pest control applicators, landlord and tenants rights groups, fire departments, the Ohio Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health, and the Ohio State University Extension.

The goal of the task force is to prevent bed bug infestations through education and serve as a resource to those struggling with an infestation.

No community is immune to bed bugs. Socioeconomic status is not an indicator of one’s susceptibility to a bed bug infestation nor is it an indicator if someone is dirty. Anyone can experience an infestation.

Here’s what’s fantastic about the website:

Target Areas Page

• Schools
  • Pictures from the Bed Bug Overview for schools
  • School Letter to Parents (download)
  • School Identification and Management Guidelines for Schools
  • “Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite: What Every School Community Needs to Know” presentation

• Public Safety
  • Informational Presentation for firefighters
    

• Housing
  • “Anyone can get a bed bug infestation” article
  • New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Fact Sheet for the home

• Social Services
  • For health care and social service guidelines for home visits, click HERE (links to Social Service policy document)

• Health Care
  • For health care and social service guidelines for home visits, click HERE

• Hotels & Lodging
  • Hotel Staff Training Guide
    English
    Spanish
  • The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene bed bug factsheet for hotel safety

• Steering Committee: The steering committee is made up of individuals with a wide ranch of expertise regarding bed bug infestations. To send comments to the steering committee, please click HERE.
  • Matt Beal, The Ohio Department of Agriculture
  • Sue Carpenter, Columbus Code Enforcement
  • Andrew Christman, The Ohio Exterminating Co., Inc.
  • Dr. Susan Jones, The Ohio State University Extension Office
  • Paul Wenning, Franklin County Board of Health

Partners Page (with links to almost all task force partners listed)

• Buckeye Real Estate
• Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging
• City of Hilliard Code Enforcement
• City of Reynoldsburg Building Department
• City Of Westerville Building Department
• City of Whitehall Code Enforcement
• Columbus Apartment Association
• Columbus City Schools
• Columbus Code Enforcement
• Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Columbus Public Health
• Columbus Urban League
• Dragoo and Associates Property Management
• F & W Properties
• Franklin County Board of Health
• Franklin County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MRDD)
• Franklin County Office on Aging
• Grove City Area Visitors and Convention Bureau
• Jackson Township Division of Fire
• The Legal Aid Society of Columbus
• LifeCare Alliance
• Madison Township Fire Department
• Ohio Department of Agriculture
• Ohio Department of Commerce
• Ohio Department of Health
• Ohio Exterminating Company, Inc.
• OhioHealth Group
• Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association
• Orkin Pest Control
• The Ohio State University Extension
• The Ohio State University Medical Center
• The Ohio State University Student Housing Legal Clinic
• Quality Pest Control
• Southern Mill Creek Products
• St. Agatha School
• State Fire Marshal Inspection Bureau
• State of Ohio, Division of Industrial Compliance
• Truro Township Fire Department
• Upper Arlington City Schools
• Varment Guard Environmental Services, Inc.
• Washington Township Fire Department
• Waste Management
• Westerville City Schools
• Willis Law Firm

Photos Page: Images are courtesy of The Ohio State University Extension Office.

• Behind a baseboard (2)
• Shed skins on box springs
• Fecal spotting on sofa underside
• Fecal spotting on sofa frame
• Bed bugs on suitcase (2)
• Electrical outlet plate
• Hatched eggs
• Fed bed bug nymph
• Bed bug inspection

Nice work, Central Ohio. City of Chicago? State of Illinois? It’s time.

Special thanks to our adviser Renee Corea for the tip.

I received an email yesterday from Silvia Salazar of Norwood Tenant Association, the phenomenal lady I wrote about here.  Silvia wrote to fill me in on the Stop Bedbugs DC Summit, which she helped create and organize.  Silvia had great news to share– the summit, sponsored in part by the DC Department of Health, was a huge success.  In fact, Silvia says

We had over 120 organizations in attendance. Many were interested in developing a task force and offered resources and expertise.

A fire alarm went off after lunch and we had to exit the building. We were concerned that people would loose interest and leave. We were gladly surprised to see them return after we were cleared to return to the building. Guess the summit attendees were as tenacious as bedbugs.

Or the summit attendees really understood exactly how tenacious bed bugs can be!

These are just a few of the photos taken during the summit. My favorite is the top middle picture. What this photo says to me is that people are talking and listening to each other; they’re trying to determine what needs to be done, which bases need to be covered right away, and how they can work together to address the spread of bed bugs in Washington DC.  As I mentioned here, the summit included all of the following:

• Expert entomologists
• Experienced industry professionals
• Stakeholders
• Discussion of pertinent and time-sensitive issues:
  • legislation
  • enforcement
  • citizen involvement through tenant groups, senior and public housing
• Educational outreach
• Government and local business participation
• Empowering people who are affected by bed bugs to take action and combat the problem

Wonder if we could pull something like this off here in Chicago?  I hope so.  The Stop Bedbugs DC Summit was an important first step for the stakeholders in DC who are interested in developing a task force– and a strategic plan– to control bed bug infestations there.

Again, we at Chicago vs. Bed Bugs commend all of the organizers, speakers, and attendees who participated in the Stop Bedbugs DC Summit on March 27th.  You are on the right track, and we’re so grateful to you for setting an example for everyone.

*Special thanks to Silvia Salazar for sending summit updates and photos.