License Revoked for Annandale Facility

ANNANDALE  (AP) - State regulators have revoked the license of a mental health facility in Annandale where two people committed suicide in the past year.

Minnesota Department of Human Services Inspector General Jerry Kerber says Annandale IRT has provided "substandard" care. The facility has repeatedly been cited for violating rules aimed at protecting its clients.

A state report says three workers failed to immediately remove a rope from a
resident's neck or do CPR in a timely manner after discovering the suicide last December. The report says that about a month later, a resident committed suicide after a family member "begged" employees to take immediate action because the resident was distraught. The operator of the facility, Central Minnesota Mental Health Center, says it will appeal the revocation.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)