 Essentia Health St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd is responding tonight after the hospital stopped serving involuntary mental health patients in its grace unit. The move was made for a number of factors including being understaffed and the increasingly violent behavior of those who are being forced by courts to seek treatment. The hospital's grace unit will continue to serve people who seek treatment voluntarily. But we also understand that we can't serve every single patient based on the fact that we do not and never have had a facility that's designed to house the most violent and agitated people that are at risk to themselves, to other patients and our staff, and that the state of Minnesota needs to meet its obligation to provide the appropriate facilities to treat these patients. The grace unit offers 16 beds for mental health patients seeking treatment. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.