Editing Willard Plan
From Asylum Projects
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
β | The Willard Plan refers not to a building plan, but plan of | + | The Willard Plan refers not to a building plan, but more a State plan of Asylum system administration. The plan put forward the idea that a state should move it's chronic insane patients from regular mental hospitals and almshouses to institutions built purely for custodial care of the chronic insane. |
β | The plan was named after Dr Willard, the man who proposed this idea to the New York legislature in | + | The plan was named after Dr Willard, the man who proposed this idea to the New York legislature in 1861. At the time the mental hospitals of many states were becoming dangerously overcrowded due to the chronic insane. This crowding due to incurables led to less effective treatment for acute patients and as a result a decreased chance of their recovery. Many Chronic patients were sent to their county or city almshouses from the state hospital, often living in deplorable conditions. To combat this problem Dr. Willard felt a state hospital for custodial care would be best, both providing the chronic insane with a humane existence, and also freeing up space at the State Hospital at Utica. This proposition caused much debate in the AMSAII, with many favoring building accommodations for chronic patients on current hospital grounds and arguing the ethics of giving up on treatment of those declared "incurable". Dr. Kirkbride was among them and vehemently objected to it. In the end however the motion passed 7-6 and New York adopted the Willard plan. While Dr. Willard died before his plan became reality the Willard State Asylum was named in his honor. |
Many states eventually created hospitals for the chronic insane at some point. Some of these hospitals were [[Willard State Hospital]], [[Binghamton State Hospital]],[[Tewksbury State Hospital]], [[Rhode Island State Hospital]], and [[Wernersville State Hospital]] to name a few. | Many states eventually created hospitals for the chronic insane at some point. Some of these hospitals were [[Willard State Hospital]], [[Binghamton State Hospital]],[[Tewksbury State Hospital]], [[Rhode Island State Hospital]], and [[Wernersville State Hospital]] to name a few. |