Back in September 2006, federal officials gave the state 18 months to correct safety deficiencies they found at the center. Unfortunately, the feds found the state had failed to meet four of eight standards by the March 7 deadline.

That means the center is in danger of losing $28.6 million in funding from Medicare and Medicaid, which is more than half of the center's $50 million budget. It no longer qualifies for the federal funds, but the state is appealing the decision.

This is a looming crisis that the state needs to get a handle on. The Beatrice State Developmental Center houses and treats mentally disabled individuals, some of the most vulnerable in our society.

These individuals deserve to be treated with dignity and live in a safe manner. There's no doubt the state, from Gov. Dave Heineman on down through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, need to make improving the Beatrice center a top priority.

Chris Peterson, HHS chief executive officer and a former state senator from Grand Island, last month told the Independent that improving the center is a priority for her department.

The problem has been being able to hire enough staff for the center, Peterson said. They've been trying to increase staffing but have just been unable to get the number up, she said.

They also are working on "right-sizing" the facility by moving more people out of the center, Peterson said. There are now 308 residents at the center, down from 370 in September 2006. Officials hope to lower the population by another 100.

She added that they are attempting a "cultural change" at the Beatrice center to give it more of a neighborhood feel than an institutional one.

We trust that Peterson and HHS are working to correct the deficiencies at the Beatrice center, but they need to pick up the pace. The state can't afford to lose $28.6 million in federal funds.

What we don't like is the attempt by a group of mostly Democratic state senators to turn the problems at the Beatrice center into a partisan issue. Six Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Legislature took time on the floor Monday to criticize Heineman, a Republican, for the problems at the Beatrice center.

The care of Nebraska's developmentally disabled shouldn't be turned into a partisan, political issue. These senators need to do more than criticize; they need to propose solutions.

Instead of polarizing the problem, the senators, governor and HHS officials need to find a way to salvage that federal funding. They need to work together to get the facility up to speed and meeting federal regulations.

The care of the state's developmentally disabled is too important to turn the issue into political ax grinding.