The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Local News

January 30, 2012

Legislator, police chief concerned about St. Peter Security Hospital turmoil

By Brian Ojanpa Free Press Staff Writer

ST PETER —  

The latest report of turmoil at Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter is part of a chaotic continuum there that has raised concern another notch, say an area legislator and a police chief.

“I’m deeply concerned. I’m troubled by the ongoing inability to run this facility in a professional manner,” said State Rep. Terry Morrow of St. Peter.

Said St. Peter Police Chief Matt Peters, “We’re definitely concerned when we see these articles because I tend to believe where there’s smoke there’s fire.”

The Star Tribune on Monday reported that six psychiatrists at the St. Peter facility have resigned in recent months in protest of the combative management style of the hospital’s new administrator, David Proffitt.

The six represented the hospital’s entire psychiatric staff, Morrow said. The Minnesota Department of Human Services is filling those spots with department psychiatrists unfamiliar with the state’s most dangerous patients.

Morrow said he met Monday with Human Services Assistant Commissioner Maureen O’Connell.

“I told her that I defer to DHS expertise when it comes to policies and procedures at the hospital, but where I need to hear answers are how the policy changes are being communicated and how the staff is being listened to.”

Morrow said hospital staff have told him in confidence that they fear for their and their patients’ safety but are reluctant to approach administration with their concerns.

He said he told O’Connell internal communication needs to evolve to a point whereby employees needn’t fear retribution.

He also said such issues at the hospital didn’t occur overnight.

“I’ve heard of problems there for several years now. There are deep, deep questions that must be answered in St. Paul.”

Proffitt, who started work at the hospital in September, previously ran a hospital for the mentally ill in Maine, which was cited by federal investigators for numerous workplace infractions.

According to the Star Tribune report, O’Connell knew of those violations but didn’t think they were important enough to be related to DHS Commissioner Lucinda Jesson, who hired Proffitt.

Morrow said O’Connell told him she disagreed with the newspaper report, telling Morrow that Proffitt’s work history was communicated to Jesson.

O’Connell on Monday could not be reached to verify that claim.

Police Chief Peters said the upheaval at the hospital should have virtually no bearing on the St. Peter community at large.

Eligible patients at the multi-program St. Peter Regional Treatment Center routinely move about the community under the treatment auspices of the hospital’s patient transition-services program.

“But there is no correlation between the psychiatrists leaving and the patients out on day passes,” Peters said.

He said people must be cautious about painting all patients on the St. Peter hospital campus with the same brush.

From a policing standpoint, Peters feels there has been a decrease over the years in hospital requests for police intervention.

However, he said the security hospital’s current state of flux raises concern that campus problems with volatile patients could spill over into law enforcement’s area of responsibility.    

    

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