State officials say Minnesota facilities that treat psychiatric problems and other disabilities are falling into disrepair and require tens of millions of dollars in upgrades, according to an article on the Star Tribune website.
Heating systems, roofs and other critical infrastructure are failing at several large treatment centers, the officials said.
Acting Human Services Commissioner Chuck Johnson cited an aging kitchen that serves 2,000 meals a day at the sprawling St. Peter campus that’s home to the Minnesota Security Hospital, the state’s largest psychiatric facility.
Cooking equipment is outdated and ventilation is so poor that temperatures can exceed 110 degrees in the summer, making it virtually unbearable for workers.
In an aging brick building that once housed sex offenders, there were empty rooms with broken light fixtures, 50-year-old pipes wrapped in asbestos, and prisonlike corridors with fluorescent lighting and chipped paint, the article said.
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