JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A Joint Commission Survey earlier this year found some violations of standards at the North Dakota State Hospital, which are being addressed.

During the State Hospital Governing Body Meeting Monday, Superintendent Dr. Rosalie Etherington stated that they were due for a Joint Commission survey, which happened in March.

Dr. Etherington says at the time, the hospital was issued a preliminary denial of accreditation. This means the hospital kept their accreditation, but had to immediately comply with the findings of the survey.

The Joint Commission returned to observe that the deficiency has been addressed, which they found the hospital had. Dr. Etherington says there are plans for the Joint Commission to return and complete another survey later this year.

Another portion of the deficiencies found by the Joint Commission was documentation requirements and ligature risks in the environment.

Dr. Etherington says they are hoping to have all ligature risks addressed, which the hospital has been working on for some time.

The Joint Commission accepted the anti-ligature plan and has granted an extension through September to meet their compliance.

In other news, Tonya Perkins was welcomed as the new Hospital Administrator and Tim Bonnell as Director of Safety and Security.