A mentally diminished teenage patient at the Minnesota Security Hospital grabbed a staff member by the hair and bashed her head against a brick wall, then kicked her in the head repeatedly, a labor union official said Tuesday.
The assault occurred Monday night in the courtyard of the security hospital, located in St. Peter and run by the state Department of Human Services (DHS).
The staff member was hospitalized overnight and released after suffering what the DHS described as "serious" injuries.
The patient, a 16-year-old with "low cognitive abilities," is now isolated from other patients and under constant supervision by two staffers, said Jennifer Munt, an official with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the union representing the mental hospital's staff members.
Carol Olson, the DHS's forensic treatment services executive director, released a statement about the incident:
"A patient at the Minnesota Security Hospital assaulted a staff member, resulting in serious injury to the staff member. Last night, we called local law enforcement and are working with them on appropriate action. We remain committed to a safe and secure treatment environment for employees as well as patients and will carefully review this incident to determine how situations like this can be prevented in the future."
Last year, the security hospital hired nearly 60 more staff to improve security and treatment following repeated incidents of patient maltreatment and abuse, as well as the slaying of a patient in January 2014.
The DHS also had to retrain much of the staff to engage with patients more directly and rely less on restraints and seclusion.
