To try to catch in a brief minute the influence of Dorothea Lynde Dix
in terms of Mental healthcare in the United States is probably far beyond my capabilities.
Certainly she established many many psychiatric hospitals
one of them was Saint Elizabeth's.
She was very very committed
to providing people an asylum which was a refuge a place away from the stresses and pressures of everyday life
where they could come and
recover from their mental disorder.
Now, we were a federal hospital back then and we got cases from all over the United States.
The crimes that they were committed for range from as little is
attempted petty larceny
to multiple rapes, murders,
armed robberies...
the poetry of crimes.
The Facility is you know and some of it is nineteen fifties psychiatric care spaces.
Cuts of green tile and hard floors and metal doors and windows, and that make it look like a prison.
The Department of Justice
investigated the hospital and found/felt that they were in violation of the civil rights of institutionalized persons.
You're here to do everything in your power to make them well enough to return to the community.
But you have a responsibility to the people who live in the community too. That you're not putting someone out there who can commit, you know maybe another
bad offense.
We are gradually increasing the involvement of the community in the life of Saint Elizabeth's. In the past, the community was very involved..
And then over the years it became less and less
welcoming that place, I think for the community.
But now within the last two or three years, we've definitely opened our doors in welcoming the community here as visitors, as volunteers.
Back when the hospital first opened in 1855
the primary treatment available was what's called Moral therapy, and that was you provide people a
calm
serene environment
that's removed from the stresses of everyday life. You provide them staff that are caring and attentive and
concerned about their well-being and that this environment and kind of care will help them recover.
I think when we moved into building, we're going to have an environment
we're really getting back to that aspect of care treatment and recovery is going to be far more
possible and we'll be able to really fully implement it.