Traverse City State Hospital Case Study

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Traverse City State Hospital Joshua M. Winn History 300W Professor JoEllen Vinyard December 11, 2009 Winn 1 Known for its architecture is The Traverse City State Hospital. Built in 1885, in Northern Michigan, this breathtaking property now stands today “as mute witness to a therapeutic movement that once flourished in the United States”. The hospital’s original theme was "beauty is therapy." This mental institution was part of Michigan's mental health department, which had other institutions at places including Kalamazoo, Pontiac, Newberry, Northville, Caro, and other cities. The hospitals first superintendent, Dr. James Decker Munson, felt that if people were surrounded by beauty and tranquility, a lot of…show more content…
Kirkbride was a founding member of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane or the AMSAII for short. In his time as a secretary and the president of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane it shaped the plan that he created for his mental patents, the Kirkbride Plan. The Kirkbride Plan varied from the design of the floor plan to the volunteer work that the patents participated in. Kirkbride was devoted to moral treatment, which required a change of daily habits—regular schedules were intended to make patents internalize self-control. By having this schedule every day, it allowed the patents to live a meaningful life. They ate at the same time during the day, complete their daily chores, and basically live their life as they would if they were not in the institute. The patients were encouraged, but not forced to work the farms and keep the…show more content…
In the 1960’s, mental institutions were viewed as the least popular solution for mental illness. Mainly from a humane stand point and the economic viewpoint were the two main reasons why the Traverse City State Hospital closed. The closings occurred in a sharp wave, starting in the 1960’s and they are still being closed today. Beginning in the early 70’s healthcare costs were rapidly increasing .This was one of the reasons why the 1970’s were the height of deinstitutionalization. In 1993, the community programs served over 170,000 people. State financial support to local programs has increased from $165.8 million in 1980 to $1 billion in 1993. This dramatic increase in state support for community mental health was made possible by closing state hospitals such as The Traverse City State Hospital that cost as much as $500,000 per bed per year. (Michaelsen
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