ANOKA, Minn. (AP) – Top officials at the state psychiatric hospital in Anoka ignored repeated warnings about illegal drugs and other safety concerns long before a patient died from a heroin overdose, state officials concede.
Those officials now acknowledge that for at least two years, administrators at the Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center failed to adequately respond to complaints and concerns of patients’ families, staff physicians, police and mental-health advocates. The warnings included an Anoka police department recommendation in 2000 to beef up security to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the hospital.
