Provincial Hospital for the Insane Ponoka
| Provincial Hospital for the Insane Ponoka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1911 |
| Opened | 1912 |
| Current Status | Active |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Location | Ponoka, AB |
| Alternate Names |
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History
Alberta's first "mental" hospital as it was then called, opened in 1911 just outside Ponoka, on the Battle River. While the first matron was an English-trained graduate nurse, her staff included only a few trained nurses, and certainly with very little knowledge of psychiatric nursing. When Dr. Baragar was appointed Acting Superintendent of the hospital, he established a nursing school.
Dr. Baragar was a psychiatrist from Brandon Mental Hospital and had a keen interest in training nurses in the specific needs of psychiatric patients--he felt strongly that the nursing care of "the complexities of the mind" should be a profession in its own right. He felt that the care of physical illness would still be a part of such a profession, and even that all nurses should have some understanding of those complexities of the mind.
Images of Central State Hospital
Main Image Gallery: Provincial Hospital for the Insane Ponoka
