Existing comment:
History of St. Elizabeths Hospital:
St. Elizabeths Hospital (SEH) in Washington DC, originally was known as the Government Hospital for the Insane (GHI). It was established through the Civil and Diplomatic Appropriation Act of 1852, and admitted its first patients in 1855. Dorothea Dix, its founder and the leading mental health reformed of the 19th century, wrote the law that articulated the hospital's mission "to provide the most humane care and enlightened curative treatment of the insane of the Army, Navy and the District of Columbia."
Located on a hill in southeast Washington DC, overlooking the Anacostia and Potomac rivers, it offers a panoramic view of the city. St. Elizabeths was built as a 250-bed hospital based on the Kirkbride plan. Thomas Walter, Architect of the Capital (1851-1865), drafted the architectural plans for Center Building. In 1852, on the recommendation of Dorothea Dix, Charles H. Nichols MD was appointed as the first Superintendent of the hospital. He was responsible for the building and administration of the hospital. It was built in three phases -- west wing, east wing, and the center building last.
On October 10, 1961, the United States Congress authorized temporary use of the unfinished east wing as a 250-bed general hospital for the sick and wounded soldiers of the Union Army. The West Lodge for colored insane male was converted into a 60-bed general and quarantine hospital for the sailors of the Potomac and Chesapeake fleets. There were three distinct hospitals, each headed by a different physician. |