Harlingen residents against psychiatric expansion to state facility

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Harlingen residents are voicing their distaste regarding the expansion of a state psychiatric facility.

The $120 million project aims to expand the current Rio Grande State Center facility.

50 new bed units in a maximum-security setting would be added to the existing 55-bed units with non-maximum security.

The expansion would offer in-patient psychiatric care for patients who were determined incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Garner Klien lives near the center and claims patients have escaped in the past.

“We were on vacation in Colorado and made contact with someone here in the house, and we were i...