It is our hope that our endorsement will advance your candidacy and that you will be successful in your efforts to retain your seat in the Minnesota House.

Our endorsement reflects our whole-hearted support for your candidacy.  We appreciate all that you have done on behalf of our nurses and look forward to working with you in the future.

Patti Cullen, President of Care Providers of Minnesota, wrote

Our dedicated long-term care professionals are proud to support Terry Morrow.  Representative Morrow understands our state’s health care issues and he has a deep commitment to maintaining Minnesota’s reputation for high-quality long-term health care.

 

Now, back to this last session at the Capitol, as you know the big fight was over 3 words ” Enhance, Protect and Restore” that the House had stiffed us with in Conference committee the previous year. Because of all the efforts of wildlife groups and especially your individual efforts in contacting your legislators, we prevailed and the language was repealed. I want to give credit to the following legislators from this area  who supported us and worked very hard to make this happen. In the House, Rep. Terry Morrow(DFL) your efforts did not go unnoticed by this organization,we know you logged countless hours building support for us. In the Senate, Sen. Kathy Sheran(DFL) and Sen. Dennis Frederickson(R), again thank you, you all helped immensely. Sen. Frederickson, hope you thoroughly enjoy your retirement and now can find time to share a blind in the field with us. I have to salute Sen. Satveer Chaudhary(DFL) Fridley also, Sen. Chaudhary is Environment and Natural resources, chair. He is a true friend and supporter of every one of us that picks up a rod or gun in Minnesota. If you see these folks on the street, Thank them, without their support we wouldn’t have succeeded.

When pushed by The Free Press and State Rep. Terry Morrow, DFL-St. Peter, state officials would only say they are assessing what needs to be done and who will pay for it. Morrow has pledged to make department officials accountable to legislative committees for the foul-ups.

 http://mankatofreepress.com/editorials/x657355459/Our-View-Questions-pile-up-over-empty-facility

Excerpts from Mankato Free Press coverage, July 3, 2010

“An $8.8 million facility to house aging convicts and sex offenders at the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center remains unoccupied a year after construction was completed and nearly eight months after state officials hailed it as “a great structure” at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.”

“Morrow said it wasn’t until June that he realized building deficiencies were keeping the facility from being used — and only then because of reports from area residents who are familiar with what’s going on at the treatment center.

“I found out when a good number of folks individually stopped me in the last couple of weeks around town and talked about was happening,” said Morrow, who was elected to the House in 2006. “I never heard from the department that there were any kinds of problems.”

Awaiting answers

Morrow responded with a letter to Human Services Commissioner Cal Ludeman on June 24 to “express my deep concern regarding the forensic nursing home located in St. Peter” and asking “who is responsible for these failures.” He requested a response by June 28.

Human Services forwarded the letter to Administration, and Morrow began to get answers Thursday afternoon — about the same time answers to the list of Free Press questions arrived.

The response was the same: that the parties involved were still working to determine how the fixes will be done, and that completion dates and costs can’t be estimated yet.

Who’s responsible for the additional cost is still being sorted out as well, Morrow was told.

Morrow said he has questions that go beyond the violations themselves, including the months-long delays between when the contractor finished construction and turned the building over to Human Services (July 14, 2009) and when the fire and health inspections were conducted (April 29,  2010).”

Morrow said he’s already taking steps to allow the Legislature to verify that and has informed the chairman of the House Health and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee of the problems.

I’m going to ask DHS to report to the Legislature who was responsible. I’m going to ask the department to report that no tax dollars were lost because of these mistakes.

$8.8 million RTC state nursing home unusable

http://mankatofreepress.com/bigstory/x383292768/-8-8-million-RTC-state-nursing-home-unusable