PUEBLO – Colorado officials have agreed to pay $1 million to the families of 20 developmentally disabled patients who were strip searched without permission from their families or guardians in 2015 at the state’s Pueblo Regional Center.

Under the terms of the settlement, the Colorado Department of Human Services has also agreed to train staff on reporting rules, hold regular meetings with families of patients at the Pueblo facility and increase worker pay.

The deal was announced Thursday by attorneys for the families who filed a lawsuit. The settlement would also allow the department to house more patients at the center.

The Pueblo Chieftain reports that 60 patients were strip searched because officials wanted to check for signs of possible abuse. A follow-up investigation by the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office resulted in one charge against a staff member.

The facility was once known as the Colorado State Regional Center.