Aerial view of State Security Hospital, St. Peter
New state Human Services Commissioner Emily Johnson Piper is vowing to address ongoing issues of patient safety, staff injuries and overtime at the state-run psychiatric hospital in Anoka. Piper says the state will partner with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which put Anoka at risk of no longer being able to bill the federal government for services provided to patients. She says the state will bring in outside experts to address concerns about nursing, patient rights and quality assurance. Piper’s comments come the same day as she visits the state Security Hospital in Saint Peter, which has drawn sharp scrutiny from lawmakers following staff and patient injuries and even the death of a patient in early 2014.