Westmoreland housing authority seeks to scratch out bedbug problem at Jeannette Manor

Ron Tonin has had enough.

For days now, Tonin, 53, who is confined to a wheelchair, said he is forced to sleep in the hallway outside his apartment in Jeannette Manor to avoid a bedbug infestation that has left him with welts on his back and extremities.

“I’ve lived here for three years and the bedbugs just took over, Tonin said. “It keeps happening and happening no matter what they do.”

Bedbugs have been an ongoing concern for the Westmoreland County Housing Authority, which operates the 96-unit high-rise apartment building on South 4th Street in Jeannette.

The authority has spent more than $94,000 to hire private exterminators in 2021 to help in-house efforts to eradicate bed bugs from its properties, according to Executive Director Michael Washowich.

“We have not ignored this and we’re doing everything we can to get rid of bedbugs,” Washowich said. “It’s been a sporadic problem and it goes in cycles. We’re doing inspections and treatments but we also ask residents to be careful. Early detection is the key stop them from spreading.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Health says bedbugs are a nuisance and are not considered dangerous but can cause painful or itchy welts.

“Some people may have an allergic reaction that requires medical attention. Other people may have excessive scratching that leads to a secondary skin infection. Some may develop anxiety and/or insomnia,” according to the health department.

Washowich said three active bedbug cases were reported at Jeannette Manor and a private exterminator was brought in to treat those units and monitor the building for additional infestations.

In early 2020, the authority enacted a revised protocol to deal with bedbugs at the roughly 2,500 public housing units it operates in 36 properties. Private exterminators employed dogs to sniff out potential bedbug problems in 16 authority high-rise buildings as part of last year’s remediation effort.

Tonin, who suffered a stroke years ago which left him paralyzed on his left side, said more needs to be done.

“I can’t keep sleeping in the hallway,” Tonin said.