Difference between revisions of "Portal:Featured Article Of The Week"

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|Title= Philadelphia State Hospital
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|Title= Embreeville State Hospital
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|Image= embreeville.jpg
 
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|Body= In 1903, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania enacted the "Bullitt Bill", which required each county to build an maintain a facility exclusively for the care of the insane of the area. Private facilities, such as those at Friends Hospital and the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital had existed for some time. Regional state facilities, like Norristown State Hospital, were active and standing, but were found to be overcrowded and unable to accommodate the growing need. In response to this, the City of Philadelphia purchased farmland in the northeast section of the county, in a rural district then known as Byberry. There, as a measure of expanding the public welfare, they established a city-funded, inmate run farm, known simply as "Byberry Farms". This facility was intended to supply food for other public institutions in the city, such as Eastern State Penitentiary and the Philadelphia Almshouse (then known as Old Blockley Almshouse). Shortly after the purchase of the land, six inmates from the overcrowded Blockley Almshouse in the city were chosen to work at the agricultural facility. This program was done in cooperation with the physicians at Blockley Almshouse, then headed by Dr. Jeffrey A. Jackson MD, and would thereafter become known as the "colony plan". The site of Byberry was originally intended for patients suffering from Consumption (Pulmonary Tuberculosis), who would be sent from Old Blockley, and thus free additional space for patients suffering from chronic and undifferentiated insanity. As it happens, this medical dogma coincides with the early 20th century perception that Consumption could be treated with "fresh air" and exercise.  [[Philadelphia State Hospital|Click here for more...]]
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|Body= On September 29, 1938 the commonwealth took total control of the facility as part of their new state-wide legislation, known as the "Full State Care Act". The legislature (Act #53) assumed responsibility for eight of the thirteen existing county public mental hospitals, the other five hospitals were closed. This same piece of legislation would transform sites like Philadelphia City Farms into Philadelphia State Hospital. It was designated that Embreeville would serve Lancaster and Chester County in Pennsylvania as part of their catchment area. Embreeville was cited by the American Psychiatric Association as one of three "model hospitals" in the country. Dr. Arthur Hecker, the hospital superintendent, upon hearing this honor stated "We're naturally quite proud to be so honored by our peers... but we're even more pleased about a fact that helped make it possible. We have 100 percent turnover of beds each year."
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In 1971, a juvenile detention center was place within a few buildings at the hospital site for six years, before finally moving on to better physical accommodations. By 1979, the total statewide state hospital census was reduced to 10,573 patients, and resulted in the closure of several smaller state hospitals. Embreeville was the second state facility in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to close its doors, in 1980, following that of Hollidaysburg State Hospital.  [[Embreeville State Hospital|Click here for more...]]
 
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Revision as of 02:53, 22 August 2016

Featured Article Of The Week

Embreeville State Hospital


embreeville.jpg

On September 29, 1938 the commonwealth took total control of the facility as part of their new state-wide legislation, known as the "Full State Care Act". The legislature (Act #53) assumed responsibility for eight of the thirteen existing county public mental hospitals, the other five hospitals were closed. This same piece of legislation would transform sites like Philadelphia City Farms into Philadelphia State Hospital. It was designated that Embreeville would serve Lancaster and Chester County in Pennsylvania as part of their catchment area. Embreeville was cited by the American Psychiatric Association as one of three "model hospitals" in the country. Dr. Arthur Hecker, the hospital superintendent, upon hearing this honor stated "We're naturally quite proud to be so honored by our peers... but we're even more pleased about a fact that helped make it possible. We have 100 percent turnover of beds each year."

In 1971, a juvenile detention center was place within a few buildings at the hospital site for six years, before finally moving on to better physical accommodations. By 1979, the total statewide state hospital census was reduced to 10,573 patients, and resulted in the closure of several smaller state hospitals. Embreeville was the second state facility in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to close its doors, in 1980, following that of Hollidaysburg State Hospital. Click here for more...

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