An investigation by the Los Angeles Times found a plan to improve conditions at Atascadero State Hospital and other state public mental hospitals has failed.

The newspaper reports the costly six-year federal improvement plan was sparked by a 2006 lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice. It said California was violating the rights of patients by heavily drugging and improperly restraining them.

The Times found while the use of medicine and restraints decreased under the plan, the rate of patient attacks increased at all facilities but one and that it doubled at Atascadero State Hospital.

ATASCADERO, Calif. (AP) - Atascadero State Hospital remains locked down eight days after an outbreak of violence at the California central coast mental facility.

Spokesman Craig Dacus said Tuesday that the lockdown has been in place as a precautionary measure since March 20, with the exception of a few hours last Wednesday.

A lockdown means patients are kept inside their sleeping and living units. Visitors aren't allowed.

Dacus says the lockdown is designed to protect patients and state hospital employees.

He says several incidents on March 20 involved patients and employees, but he won't elaborate.

The San Luis Obispo County Tribune says jail records show hospital police booked two men into San Luis Obispo County Jail for investigation of assault causing great bodily injury.

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A spokesperson for Atascadero State Hospital says the hospital campus remains on lockdown Friday.

The hospital first went in to a lockdown on Tuesday, March 20, spokesperson Craig Dacus says. He says there were were "several incidents" that involved both patients and employees, but would not elaborate on those incidents.

The lockdown ended Wednesday morning, but then was reinstated as a precautionary measure, Dacus says. The hospital remained in lockdown Friday morning.

A spokesperson for Atascadero State Hospital says the campus went on lockdown twice in the last two days.

ASH first went into a lockdown on Tuesday evening for reasons not immediately made available to the media. That lockdown was lifted Wednesday morning. On Wednesday afternoon, another lockdown was ordered as a precautionary measure.

ASH says the lockdowns were meant to maintain the safety and security of staff and patients. A spokesperson expects to release further details sometime Thursday.

Atascadero State Hospital confirms to KSBY News that three employees were injured on Wednesday by a patient.

ASH Spokesperson Craig Dacus says the employees were nursing staff members. Dacus says they were trying to contain a patient when they were injured.

ASH did not make the nature of the injuries available to us. Dacus says safety and security of both patients and staff remain a top priority at the hospital.

A spokesperson for Atascadero State Hospital says another employee has been assaulted by a patient. This latest attack happened Saturday.

Details about the assault or injuries were not released.

ASH says safety and security of both staff and patients remains a top priority at the hospital.

Atascadero State Hospital is facing thousands of dollars in fines after a state safety audit.

Back in September, CAL/OSHA audited the hospital after getting an employee complaint. A report shows ASH was cited for various violations and fined a total of more than $38,000.

Among the citations, the report show inspectors found the employee alarm system could not be heard in all areas of the workplace, including closets, restrooms, and stairwells.

We reached out to Atascadero State Hospital for comment on the report, but our calls have not yet been returned.

In the first four months of 2011, more than 100 patients and staff members were assaulted at Atascadero State Hospital each month. But a report released to KSBY Wednesday shows the number of attacks is actually decreasing since the beginning of last year.

In January 2011, there were 60 reports of aggressive acts by patients on employees, and 73 between patients. But last month, that number was down by nearly half to just over 43 aggressive acts on staff members and 32 between patients.

The State Department of Mental Health defines an aggressive act as one that includes hitting, pushing, kicking, or similar acts directed against a staff member that causes potential or actual injury. This means incidents when an employee is not injured, but could have been, are also counted in the report.

The severity of the acts, based on whether they required no treatment, first aid or medical treatment, varied. In January 2011, no treatment or only first aid was required for most of the attacks. Only seven patients required medical treatment after being attacked by patients, and there were no patients or staff members who required hospitalization. This past January, two of the 32 patients attacked by patients needed medical treatment, and four of the 43 staff members attacked needed it. Again, no patients or staff members required hospitalization. In fact, not a single patient or staff member required hospitalization in any of the 1,163 reported aggressive acts between January 2011 and January 2012, according to the Department of Mental Health.

The Department of Mental Health says the numbers, which decrease steadily for the most part over 2011, are evidence the new Enhanced Treatment Unit is working. The unit was implemented late last year to decrease attacks. Aggressive patients are in a separate area where they receive more one-on-one treatment and have an increased staff to patient ratio. The most noted decreases in this latest report occurred in patient on patient assaults.

The number of aggressive acts between February 2011 to December 2011 follow:

February 2011: 101 total reports; 64 on patients and 37 on employees

March 2011: 114 total reports; 58 on patients; 56 on employees

April 2011: 125 total reports; 62 on patients; 63 on employees

May 2011: 83 total reports; 46 on patients; 37 on employees

June 2011: 73 total reports; 38 on patients; 35 on employees

July 2011: 91 total reports; 46 on patients; 45 on employees

August 2011: 77 total reports; 36 on patients; 41 on employees

September 2011: 64 total reports; 35 on patients; 29 on employees

October 2011: 65 total reports; 33 on patients; 32 on employees

November 2011: 95 total reports; 56 on patients; 39 on employees

December 2011: 67 total reports; 27 on patients; 40 on employees

Atascadero State Hospital is looking into three more reported assaults on employees.

The first happened Friday, when two employees were attacked by the same patient, according to spokesperson Craig Dacus.

Then on Saturday, another employee was assaulted.

Details surrounding their injuries were not made available.

A spokesperson for Atascadero State Hospital says staff members are investigating two assaults. Both assaults happened last Wednesday.

ASH says two employees were attacked by patients in separate incidents.

The extent of their injuries was not disclosed.

Atascadero State Hospital says it is investigating two separate assaults that occurred earlier this week.

The first was Sunday, when a nurse reported being attacked by a patient. She was given first aid and returned to work following the incident, spokesman Craig Dacus said.

Then on Monday, a patient reportedly attacked a nurse and a psychiatric technician. Both were treated in the hospital's infirmary and both returned to work following the incident, Dacus said.

No arrests were made following the assaults. ASH says it makes the safety and security of its staff a top priority.

Atascadero State Hospital says it's investigating three assaults on hospital employees.

The most recent attacked happened Saturday, when a hospital spokesperson says a patient assaulted a nursing employee and then a psychiatric technician.

The day before, a different patient attacked an employee. A spokesperson says the employees were treated at the hospital infirmary in all three incidents and no arrests were made.

Three more Atascadero State Hospital employees are recovering Tuesday after being assaulted by a patient, a week after a string of assaults at the hospital campus.

An ASH spokesperson says the attack happened Monday. Two of three psychiatric technicians were treated at the hospital infirmary and left work following the incident.

No arrest was made and the incident is under investigation.

Last week, ASH reported at least two separate assaults by patients on hospital staff.

An Atascadero State Hospital psychiatrist was assaulted at work by a patient Thursday morning, making it the second violent attack at the hospital reported to local media this week.

A spokesperson for the hospital says the assault happened around 9:30 a.m. The psychiatrist was treated at the hospital's infirmary and left work following the incident. Further details surrounding the attack were not made available.

Hospital police say they will ask the district attorney's office to file a felony charge against the patient for assault with a deadly weapon and the investigation is ongoing.

Another employee was assaulted Tuesday, but the patient was not charged with any crime and the employee was able to return to work following the incident.

Atascadero State Hospital announced the opening of a new program aimed at improving patient care.

ASH plans to share more information about the Enhanced Treatment Unit pilot program on Monday. The program was announced on Wednesday.

ASH said the program is part of the new Department of State Hospital structure aimed at improving patient care and safety in a more fiscally responsible manner.

Atascadero State Hospital officials say a temporary malfunction of its security system earlier this week has been fixed.

On Monday morning, hospital police and staff said they discovered that the audio portion of the facility's emergency security system was malfunctioning. The problem was reportedly fixed by 6:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.

In a statement, the hospital said: "There were no incidents reported while the enhanced security precautions were in place, which included movement restriction and increased hospital police presence."

Atascadero State Hospital officials say the malfunction was not related to recent assaults at the facility.

On Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. Atascadero State Hospital security responded to a patient assaulting a staff member. The employee was treated at the hospital infirmary and left work following the incident according to a hospital spokesperson. No arrest was made but the investigation is ongoing.

Then on Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. security staff was attempting to contain an aggressive patient when he assaulted a hospital police officer. The patient was arrested and hospital police will request that assault charges be brought against him.

Patient violence against staff has become a trend, two nurses were attacked last weekend. There were six attacks on employees in one day last month. Desmond Watkins is accused of beating a female psychiatric technician in August, breaking her orbital bone.

In a statement, the Atascadero State Hospital says it makes safety and security of it's staff and patients a top priority.

The Atascadero State Hospital is a maximum security facility that houses male patients dealing with mental disabilities. Individuals are admitted from state prisons, county jails or are transferred from other state hospitals. The hospital does not accept voluntary admissions.

Two nurses at Atascadero State Hospital were treated for injuries Saturday after they were attacked by aggressive patients, a Department of Mental Health spokesperson tells KSBY News.

The separate attacks happened Saturday. A department spokesperson says both nurses were treated at the hospital infirmary. One nurse left work and another was able to return to work following the incident.

No arrests were made in connection to the attacks.

In an email statement, ASH says it makes safety and security for its staff and patients a top priority.

Officials at Atascadero State Hospital are investigating a recent string of patient assaults against employees, according to a hospital spokesperson.

A hospital spokesperson tells KSBY one patient has been arrested on three felony counts of assault after attacking an employee in a patient dining area Wednesday, October 12. Two other staff members were injured while trying to intervene. All three employees were evaluated and released to recover at home, according to the spokesperson.

That same day, three more employees received minor injuries in another incident but details surrounding that attack were not immediately available. Charges against the patient involved are all misdemeanors, according to a hospital spokesperson.

ASH says safety remains a top priority on the hospital campus and the investigation into these matters is ongoing.

Cal/OSHA is getting involved in figuring out a way to cut down on reports of violence against workers Atascadero State Hospital.

Cal/OSHA says its visit to the hospital was initiated by a complaint from either an ASH employee or their representative. The agency won't say which, in order to protect the person's identity.

The agency says the visit began Monday and ended Wednesday. It says it looked into the hospital's record-keeping procedures, as well as its paperwork and other various procedures.

A spokesperson for the union representing ASH technicians says there has been a recent streak of violence against workers, with 12 incidents happening in the past three weeks.

"There's been issues with a patient stabbing a staff members in the facial area," said Tessa Rinhares, representative for the Union that represents ASH employees. "Another patient had attacked a female patient and a staff member quite brutally and had fractured her orbital socket.

A spokesperson for the hospital confirms a patient was arrested last Tuesday, September 20th on three felony charges. The hospital would not elaborate on the victim's injuries in that case. Then on Sunday, September 25th, five employees were hurt while trying to control a patient. Only some of those workers have returned to work. The patient was not charged.

But the hospital says, "ASH is cooperating fully with any information request that Cal/OSHA may have."

We wanted to find out if ASH has been cited for any incidents in the past. The hospital received three citations in 2003. They were for health violations and an accident after a worker was injured by a patient.

An employee at Atascadero State Hospital was in stable condition Tuesday following an assault on the hospital campus September 6, a spokesperson confirmed.

A hospital spokesperson tells KSBY News the assault happened around 11:30 a.m. on Unit 8. Hospital staff responded immediately and contained the situation, according to the spokesperson.

The patient, who is not being named because of hospital confidentiality rules, was arrested and booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail for three felonies including attempted rape, kidnapping and indecent exposure. As of Tuesday, September 13, the patient was still being held in county jail, according to the hospital spokesperson.

The employee is on leave following the incident and is in stable condition. The hospital spokesperson could not say if the employee was still being treated at a hospital.

Details of the assault were not being released and the incident is under investigation.

A female psychiatric technician is recovering from a serious head injury and broken orbital bone after a patient attacked her at Atascadero State Hospital.

It happened Wednesday night. The patient had made explicit threats to the employee in the past and had a well-established record of violence, according to Senator Sam Blakeslee who was briefed by the hospital's director.

"The violent beating could have, and should have, been avoided," said Sen. Blakeslee. "The victim should have never been exposed to this patient."

Metal detectors and bag searches, that is the new norm for employees at Atascadero State Hospital after a contraband search yields some concerning results. The hospital says it made the change to better protect patients and the people who work there.

The facility was put on lockdown July 27 as part of a planned drill. It took officers and staff twelve hours to search every patient in the one million-square foot hospital. Since that search, employees have been going through metal detectors and having their bags checked when entering secure areas.

The hospital would not release the specifics of what officers found last month, but a spokesperson says they did not find weapons, tobacco or illegal drugs. The items did include iPods and cell phones.

The main lobby at Atascadero State Hospital now looks more like an airport terminal as employees remove their belts, empty their pockets and hand over bags. A process that will remain indefinitely as officers continue their crackdown on hospital staff.

"It can range anything from certain types of hair brushes and hair combs, to chewing gum, to iPods, the list goes on," said Craig Dacus, a spokesperson for Atascadero State Hospital.

In the past two weeks alone officers have discovered nearly 100 banned items, things that could compromise the safety of patients and employees.

"They really need to be accountable for their actions because their coworkers are counting on them," Dacus said.

"We're trying to stop the flow of contraband coming in so there is no transactional environment in the hospital from patient to patient," said Coby Pizotti of the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association.

The crackdown comes as Senator Sam Blakeslee works to push a bill through the state legislature that would make it a misdemeanor to provide contraband to patients, something Pizotti hopes will reduce violence and eliminate hospital black markets.

"A bag of rolling tobacco is going for around, you could buy at Walmart for about $12.00, it's going for about $300 inside the hospital, so there is a profit to be made there," Pizotti said.

The state Senate passed the bill back in June and it's expected to review the Assembly's amendments next month. Meantime the hospital says it has seen a decrease in contraband over the past few days.

We asked how much those metal detectors cost and where the money is coming from to fund them, but our request for comment was not returned.

The California State Department of Mental Health says an employee at Atascadero State Hospital was assaulted Monday.

A dept. spokesperson couldn't provide many details, but said the attack happened Monday morning. He wouldn't confirm whether the victim was a man or a woman, or if the victim was attacked by an inmate.

The employee was treated onsite and is in stable condition.

State Senator Sam Blakeslee spent part of his day Friday doing some observing at the Atascadero State Hospital.

Blakeslee entered the hospital around 8:00 a.m. For three hours, he walked around with a psychiatric technician, a psychiatrist and a hospital police officer.

Blakeslee said he was there to get an understanding of the work environment and safety concerns of the hospital staff.

"It was very intense. It is an environment where you have to be on guard at all times," said Blakeslee. "But the employees are incredibly dedicated."

Friday's discussion with Blakeslee also included an overview of hospital safety legislations that he plans to introduce in coming weeks.

Health concerns are spreading at Atascadero State Hospital, where dozens of bad virus cases have sent patients into quarantine.

The California Department of Mental Health said eleven of the hospital's twenty nine units are currently quarantined.

The hospital released a statement saying, "Due to a recent increase in Gastrenteritis Viral Illness (GTI) certain units within the hospital have been placed on quarantine to best protect the health and safety of the patients and staff within the facility."

The GVI creates symptoms similar to the stomach flu, and can be spread through close contact with an infected person.