Utah State Hospital

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The Utah State Hospital is a mental hospital located in Provo, Utah, United States of America. The current superintendent is Dallas Earnshaw.HistoryThe Utah State Hospital began as the Territorial Insane Asylum in 1885 at Provo, Utah, with the purpose of housing and treating those considered to be mentally ill and attempting to return them to normal levels of functioning. However, due to limited knowledge about treatment of mental health at the time, the hospital became little more than a place for the mentally ill to live. The site chosen in Provo was eight blocks from the nearest residence and was separated from the city by swampland and the city dump.In 1903 the Asylum was renamed the Utah State Mental Hospital, and in 1927 it adopted its current name in an effort to eliminate the negative stigma associated with the word “mental.” Long-term patients at the hospital engaged in work therapy, which gave them something to do and also made USH self-sustaining. The hospital originally sat on 600 acres of land, and housed a dairy, a hay barn, and a piggery, as well as chickens, rabbits, and pigeons. Residents took care of the animals and also harvested fruits and vegetables from the orchards and gardens on campus.As more and more patients began their indefinite incarceration at the hospital, problems of overcrowding arose. In the 1940s USH had 700 beds, but the hospital was housing over 1,100 patients. It was not uncommon to see mattresses lining the hallways, and the large surplus of patients made it difficult for staff members to focus their attention on individuals. Dr. Owen P. Heninger became the superintendent of USH in 1942. He recognized the need for change at the hospital, and as a result, he pioneered a new treatment philosophy. His new treatments included adopting smaller treatment units, involving patients in the implementation of their own treatment plans, and encouraging more humane treatment.