News - Local
Auditors cite safety risk at mental hospital in Pueblo
Posted: Dec 7, 2009 2:29 PM by Associated Press
Colorado needs to do a better job of tracking mental patients. That's according to a state audit released Monday examining three of nine escapes in the last fiscal year.
Patients at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo include people accused of crimes but deemed incompetent to stand trial.
Auditors say the institute doesn't have procedures to quickly locate missing patients and notify proper authorities. They said there's also inadequate monitoring to make sure patients are taking their medication.
There were more than 1,200 serious incidents at the facility last year, including 11 patient deaths, including an unknown number of suicides.
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