Allentown State Hospital

Allentown State Hospital
Pennsylvania State Hospitals

The main building of Allentown State Hospital
Geography
Location 1600 Hanover Ave., Allentown, Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates 40°36′54″N 75°25′48″W / 40.615°N 75.430°W / 40.615; -75.430Coordinates: 40°36′54″N 75°25′48″W / 40.615°N 75.430°W / 40.615; -75.430
Organization
Care system Public
Hospital type Mental Health
Services
Beds 210[1]
History
Founded Oct. 3, 1912
Closed Dec. 17, 2010
Links
Website Allentown State Hospital
Lists Hospitals in Pennsylvania

Allentown State Hospital was a psychiatric hospital located at 1600 Hanover Ave. in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It served the counties of Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Monroe, Pike, and occasionally eastern Schuylkill. It was one of seven remaining psychiatric hospitals in Pennsylvania.

History

Allentown State Hospital was planned as early as 1901 but the opening was delayed until October 3, 1913. The hospital cost $1,931,270 to build. The population hit its peak in 1950 with 2,012 patients. In November 1998, Allentown State Hospital was the first psychiatric hospital in the United States to be completely seclusion-free. Due to current community mental health efforts, the hospital's occupancy fell to as low as 175 patients.

Status and future

Due to the sharp decline in the need for psychiatric hospitals, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has closed the hospital. Some residents have been transferred to the Wernersville State Hospital in Berks County. Others have been placed in residential-care settings within the community. The hospital closed on December 17, 2010.[2]

See also

References

External links

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