Psych Hospital Nurse Points to New Law as Reason for Rising Attacks on Staff

Attacks on staff at a Minnesota psychiatric hospital have risen from 24 in 2013 to 40 in the first 11 months of 2014 following the enactment of a law that is transferring more patients from jail to mental health facilities. Jackie Spanjers, a nurse and the union president at the Twin Cities-area mental health hospital Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center, told the Associated Press last week that she attributes Minnesota's "48-hour" rule as a large reason for the increase in attacks. The 2013 legislation that created the rule called for patients in jails with mental health condi...