Danville State Hospital
| Danville State Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | April 13, 1868 |
| Construction Began | 1869 (Rebuilt: 1881) |
| Opened | 1872 |
| Current Status | Active and Preserved |
| Building Style | Kirkbride Plan |
| Architect(s) | John McArthur Jr. |
| Location | Danville, PA |
| Peak Patient Population | 2,918 in 1947 |
| Alternate Names | Danville State Hospital for the Mentally Ill |
History
From the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare web page: Danville State Hospital for the mentally ill, located one mile southeast of Danville, Pennsylvania, was incorporated on April 13, 1869. In October 1872, three years after the cornerstone of the Block Building was laid, Danville State Hospital formally was opened. By September 30, 1873, 138 male and 72 female patients had been admitted for treatment. Other maintenance buildings had been erected by this time in order to increase the size and services of the facility.
The land on which Danville State Hospital stands today was originally a tract owned by pioneer Daniel Montgomery, cofounder (with his father) of Danville and for whom the town was named. He willed it to his son, Daniel Strawbridge Montgomery, who gave it to his daughter, Margaret. Margaret married W.W. Pineo. As Executor of her Estate, the latter conveyed it to the State Hospital. Its 250 acres were brought for $26,600 and Danville citizens backed the project by contributing $16,123.12 of that total.
The late Dr. Horrace Victor Pike (1877-1948) was a great innovator at Danville State Hospital. He initiated the first mental health clinic in state hospital service and was the first clinical director in the state under the Bureau of Mental Health, Department of Welfare. He was a specialist in neuropsychiatry, a widely known nerve specialist and the author of over fifty papers in the fields of mental hygiene, child guidance and psychiatry.
Dr. Robert Gatski, Superintendent for 1955-1977, was the first to introduce chlorpromazine in the treatment of patients at Danville State Hospital. Since then, many new psychotropic medications have been developed. These medications have been successful in the treatment of mental illness and have facilitated the patients' placement back into the community.
In the 1950's the hospital received full approval of the Central Inspection Board of the American Psychiatric Association for excellence in patient care. The patient population showed a steady increase up to November 1955, when the figure reached 2,801. Since that time a gradual planned reduction has occurred. As a result the census in 1968 was 1,899, and on June 30, 2002, the hospital census stood at 147. This is in keeping with the modern philosophy of treating patients in the least restrictive setting. In 1976, a Long Term Care Facility (Licensed Nursing Home) was opened to address the needs of our geriatric patients who no longer were considered to be in need of psychiatric care. The Long Term Care Facility closed on May 12, 1998.
Since 1985 this hospital has had full accreditation from JCAHO, Medicare, and Medical Assistance. Our last JCAHO Survey was March, 2003, and we received a three-year accreditation.
As of Jan. 31, 2008, Danville State Hospital had 163 patients.
Images of Danville State Hospital
Main Image Gallery: Danville State Hospital
- Danville Cont 02.jpg
Links & Additional Information
Danville State Hospital: A website dedicated to the Danville State Hospital.
