SAINT PAUL – The Minnesota House is debating the omnibus health and human services finance bill. Despite a $1.65 billion surplus, House Republicans are choosing to cut health & human services by nearly $600 million, leaving no room to provide adequate staffing levels at the Minnesota Security Hospital (MSH).
“Some of the hardest working people in Minnesota work at the Minnesota Security Hospital,” said Representative Clark Johnson (DFL-North Mankato). “Security Hospital staff serve a unique role treating civilly committed individuals and in this role they can become victims of violence. It is our moral imperative to provide the resources for these workers to do some of the hardest and most dangerous work in the state-but we are failing that imperative. Staffing levels are dangerously low and that puts our staff at risk. It is wrong and it absolutely needs to be fixed.”
Right now the Minnesota Security Hospital has 2.2 staff per patient. However, similar facilities in Oregon and Missouri have 3.3 staff per patient. The low staffing levels at the MSH directly impact the quality of care that we can provide the patients and put workers and patients at risk.