Name/Title
St. Joseph State Hospital No. 2.: Letter from Superintendent Liam O'Brien to Saturday Evening Post Editor, Feb. 20, 1968Entry/Object ID
AM2019.1.12Scope and Content
St. Joseph State Hospital No. 2.: Letter from Superintendent Liam O'Brien to Saturday Evening Post Editor, Feb. 20, 1968. Correspondence from Dr. O'Brien to Editor-at-Large, Harold H. Martin, who had evidently toured the State Hospital 16 months earlier and found overcrowded conditions and poor facilities.
O'Brien is bringing Martin up to date on progress such as...
--our patient population has dropped by over 450...level off.. hopefully somewhere around 1000. first time we have been at this figure in more than 40 years....result of successfuly recruit trained professionals.
--In June, 1966 there were only 3 trained psychiatrists...at present. .there are 15...we now have an active, going, dynamic treatment program whereby patient stays.. are now measured in weeks and months rather than in years....
--I purposedly toured you through tow of our older buildingss that were inadequate..to house the mentally ill. One of these (Male D.W.) which.. stands for detached wards, but had been informally known as the DO WITHOUT BUILDING...is now empty. Previously it had housed somewhere in the region of 300 patients.
--The Infirmary, which was so overcrowded...long rows of beds with little space between them?..is on on its wasy to being emptied. The bottom floor where previously were nearly 200 patients, now only has about 80 and hopefully in the next year we will no longer house any patients there...
--...updating.. our alcoholic program. There are potentially 150,000 alcholics in the area we serve....
--I might mention some interesting sidelights. Shortly after you visited, a relative, from some distance, of an elderly patient called at the hospital to see the grave of her mother and was very surprised when we informed her that her mother was doing quite well on one of the wards in the hospital. Apparently, many years ago when this patient was critically ill the relatives had received information implying that the patient's death was imminent but somehow or other did not receive our communication as to her recovery. As a result of the visit the patient is now at home and at last report doing well with her family...."
--You may remember the museum item, the display of nuts, bolts, safety pins, buttons, etc. that were removed more than 30 years ago from a patient's stomach....Lexicon
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Mental Hospital, St. Joseph State Hospital No. 2, Superintendents, Stomach Contents Exhibit, Alcohol Treatment Program, Detached Wards, State Hospital Population NumbersRelationships
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Person or Organization
Liam O'Brien