Family captures videos of mice and droppings at nursing facility in Philadelphia
He went in for physical therapy and recovery, but was met with mice and rodent droppings on the floor in several areas around the room. A Philadelphia family called CBS News Philadelphia after their brother was admitted to Graduate Post Acute, a nursing facility in Center City. The family didn't let him stay there because he has cancer, and they say the conditions were too unsanitary.
Michael D'Emilio was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2018, and he's been fighting ever since.
"It's just been a struggle for him," Rob D'Emilio, his younger brother, said. "He's the strongest person I know."
This past April, Michael D'Emilio spent nearly a month in the hospital with pneumonia and needed physical therapy and rehab before he could go home. He said he decided on Graduate Post Acute, a nursing facility in Center City. His family expected him to be there for a few weeks until he was strong enough to come home, but after just a few hours of being there, the D'Emilios said they discovered mice in the facility.
They captured video of a mouse darting out from under the bed and then later a mouse running in the hallway.
"I'm thinking of getting out because of all the diseases mice have," Michael D'Emilio said.
D'Emilio and his siblings decided he would not stay the night.
"I don't want to wait for a mouse to come into the bed with me," he said.
Rob D'Emilio took other videos that he claims show mouse droppings in different areas of the floor in Michael's room.
"The smell of his room got me first," Rob D'Emilio said. "It smelled like a pet shop."
Because Michael is immunocompromised, the D'Emilios took him home, but they're worried about other patients.
"You don't want to keep things like that to yourselves because someone else is going to be in that environment that doesn't have siblings like Mike has, or any family," Rob D'Emilio said, "and they're going to be stuck there without a voice."
Through a statement, the facility administrator said, "Graduate Post Acute takes the care and wellbeing of its residents very seriously. This community recently changed hands in 2025, and since then we have diligently addressed challenges stemming from deferred maintenance, including pest control. The team here is committed to providing the highest standards for quality and comfort, and we will continue to work toward that goal."
Graduate Post Acute also sent CBS News Philadelphia a letter from Aardvark Pest Control Services saying in part, "We implemented industry-standard techniques, including baiting and trapping, which is ongoing, and worked with contractors hired by the center to address structural points of entry identified during our visits. This situation is a top priority, and the progress over the past few months has been positive."
Graduate Post Acute is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The most recent inspections available on the department's website make no mention of rodents or rodent droppings. The facility informed CBS News Philadelphia that an unscheduled inspection conducted last week turned up no infestations. The D'Emilios said they reported the facility to the state.
A spokesperson told CBS News Philadelphia, "The Department of Health takes all complaints seriously. If the Department receives a complaint related to a health care facility, it is investigated through what the Department refers to as a survey. Although the Department cannot comment on surveys, survey results are made publicly available at least 41 days following the completion of the survey."
