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

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|Title= London Psychiatric Hospital
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|Title= Central Lunatic Asylum
|Image= London.jpg
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|Image= petersburg.png
 
|Width= 150px
 
|Width= 150px
|Body= The former London Asylum for the Insane (LAI) opened in 1870, and has transformed over the years in response to changing approaches to mental health care. In 1869 the provincial legislature appropriated $100,000 to build the London Asylum for the Insane, and 300 acres of land were purchased at $67 an acre. Older asylums at Malden and Orillia closed and were replaced by the new facility in London. The LAI was ready for occupation within 18 months of the site's purchase and its first patients arrived from Malden and Orillia in November 1870.
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|Body= The origin of Central State Hospital dates back to the close of the Civil War when in April 1865, Congress created the Freedman's Bureau to establish hospitals, schools and other facilities for the African-American population.
  
After its establishment, the LAI aimed to distinguish itself in the field of mental health care in Canada. The Asylum's first superintendent, Dr. Henry Landor, was an advocate of compassionate care, who believed in the restorative influence of a rural setting and the practical use of moral therapy. Landor encouraged the Province of Ontario to purchase of an additional 100 acres east of the original site for the erection of cottages that were intended to provide more comfortable and independent accommodation for long-term patients.
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In December 1869, a former Confederate Facility, known as Howard's Grove Hospital, was designated as a mental health hospital for African-Americans. The name was later changed to Central Lunatic Asylum. In June 1870, the General Assembly passed an act incorporating the Central Lunatic Asylum as an organized state institution. When the Commonwealth of Virginia assumed ownership, there were "123 insane persons and 100 paupers, not insane" housed at the asylum.
  
The main building featured a number of wards for different patients. Superintendents wished to create a sense of home life for the patients, and the building featured sitting rooms, solariums and balconies where they could relax. Patients in the main building were separated into paid and free wards. Patients who were able could pay between $1.50 and $2.75 per week for more comfortable surroundings and even private rooms. However, in 1871 only 4% of patients paid any fees. [[London Psychiatric Hospital|Click here for more...]]
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In 1882, the Mayfield Farm in Dinwiddie County was purchased by the City of Petersburg for $15,000 and presented to the Commonwealth for the development of a new mental health hospital. The first patients (a total of 373) were transferred to the present site of the hospital on March 22, 1885. Ten years later, the population had doubled and by the end of 1950, there were 4,043 inpatients with 691 on parole or escape status.
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Within a few years, the average inpatient population had reached 4,800 and overcrowding in the old unsafe ward buildings had become a major problem. [[Central Lunatic Asylum|Click here for more...]]
 
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Revision as of 04:05, 3 December 2012

Featured Article Of The Week

Central Lunatic Asylum


petersburg.png

The origin of Central State Hospital dates back to the close of the Civil War when in April 1865, Congress created the Freedman's Bureau to establish hospitals, schools and other facilities for the African-American population.

In December 1869, a former Confederate Facility, known as Howard's Grove Hospital, was designated as a mental health hospital for African-Americans. The name was later changed to Central Lunatic Asylum. In June 1870, the General Assembly passed an act incorporating the Central Lunatic Asylum as an organized state institution. When the Commonwealth of Virginia assumed ownership, there were "123 insane persons and 100 paupers, not insane" housed at the asylum.

In 1882, the Mayfield Farm in Dinwiddie County was purchased by the City of Petersburg for $15,000 and presented to the Commonwealth for the development of a new mental health hospital. The first patients (a total of 373) were transferred to the present site of the hospital on March 22, 1885. Ten years later, the population had doubled and by the end of 1950, there were 4,043 inpatients with 691 on parole or escape status.

Within a few years, the average inpatient population had reached 4,800 and overcrowding in the old unsafe ward buildings had become a major problem. Click here for more...