Why did Fergus Falls State hospital close?
Why did Fergus Falls State hospital close?
The Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center closed in 2005 after gradually moving patients to smaller, community-based facilities for two decades. The state sold the land to the city of Fergus Falls in 2007. After its closure the building’s future was uncertain. Preservationists have fought to save the main building.
When did Fergus Falls State hospital close?
2005
The Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center, as it was later renamed, officially closed in 2005.
Can you visit Fergus Falls State hospital?
This complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It closed in 2005. Tours of the inside of the facility are not available. However, the grounds are public property, and we invite visitors to walk around the beautiful campus.
When was the first hospital for the mentally ill opened in the US?
The first hospital in the U.S. opened its doors in 1753 in Philadelphia. While it treated a variety of patients, six of its first patients suffered from mental illness. In fact, Pennsylvania Hospital would have a pivotal impact on psychiatry.
What is the Kirkbride theory?
Kirkbride’s philosophy behind the staggered wings was to allow individual corridors open to sunlight and air ventilation through both ends, which he believed aided in healing the mentally ill.
What was the impact of the Kirkbride Plan?
Hospitals started popping up all across the country. In 1840, the United States had just 18 asylums. By 1880 there were 139, most of them built with state funds according to the Kirkbride Plan. The Plan gave an architect everything he’d need to build a beautiful, optimally functional asylum.
How did Fergus Falls State Hospital get its name?
On December 14, 1886, Fergus Falls was selected as the hospital site by a vote of 4-1. The name of the institution was changed accordingly to the Fergus Falls State Hospital. The hospital was designed on a model established by physician Thomas Kirkbride. Kirkbride believed that building design was an important part of patient treatment programs.
How did Fergus Falls become the largest mental hospital in Minnesota?
Women were not admitted to the institution until 1893, when 125 women were transferred from St. Peter. By the late 1920s the hospital’s population was around 1,700 making it the largest mental health hospital in the state. As the institution grew, so did the town. The population in Fergus Falls more than doubled between 1890 and 1930.
Where can I find patient records for the Fergus Falls State Hospital?
Patient records for the Fergus Falls State Hospital can be viewed in person at the library or ordered online from our State Hospital Records Request . A Short History of the Fergus Falls State Hospital, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, by Emery Johnson.
What happened to the Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center?
The Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center closed in 2005, but it had been moving patients to smaller, community-based facilities for two decades. The state sold the land to the city of Fergus Falls in 2007. Preservationists fought to save the main building.