Dayton: Bill Would Give Millions To State Mental Hospitals

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Governor Mark Dayton said Wednesday decades of neglect have made the state's psychiatric hospitals unsafe for workers and patients.

So today, Dayton urged the Minnesota Legislature to pass his budget and construction project bills. They include more than $175 million for the Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center and the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter.

Staff at both facilities have suffered attacks from violent patients. It's so bad in Anoka that the center risks losing federal funding.

"Just urgently needing funding so that we can staff and operate both of those facilities to the standard that is minimally necessary to provide for the safety of the employees there as well as provide for the safety of the patients there," Dayton said.

Gov. Dayton says his plan would add staffing at both state-run facilities. His construction project bill would also help pay for renovations and safety upgrades.