Mental illness can touch everyone’s life. For those who have family at the St. Peter Security Hospital, mental illness is something they have to deal with every day.

Some have faced the reality of mental illness for years.

That’s why a recent open house at the facility can only help everyone understand the importance of a facility like this. The Security Hospital recently completed a $56 million upgrade that added 48 beds in two new buildings on the campus.

The improvements were significant in terms of treating the patients deemed mentally ill and dangerous. The rooms will now have regular furniture instead of the prison-like atmosphere of beds attached to the walls. New recreational, dining and therapy spaces have been designed to be more treatment friendly, with pastel colors and rooms named after flowers.

There are more windows and they don’t have bars on them. There are soundproof living and recreational spaces.

All of this comes at a time when the facility was celebrating its 150th anniversary. It’s an important milestone in terms of how much different the patients are treated nowadays and the environment they live in for an average of eight years.

The new buildings also will improve safety of staff who must deal with violent tendencies of the patients. The new facility is designed to foster healing and allow clear sight lines for employee safety.

The facility can be further modernized with another $70 million that was supported by many in the Legislature but that was not allocated as the bonding bill failed to pass.

People don’t choose to be mentally ill and dangerous. But we can chose to help them. The new facility in St. Peter will do exactly that.

— Mankato Free Press, Oct. 19