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Description

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Austin State Hospital was the first state facility of its kind built west of the Mississippi In 1856 the governor of Texas signed a bill providing for the establishment of the Texas State Lunatic Asylum Construction started in 1857 and the first patients were admitted in 1861 The facility was renamed the Austin State Hospital ASH in 1925

Today this original building serves as the administration building for a modern innovative facility providing psychiatric care to a 38county region in Central Texas ASH admitted over 4400 patients in the fiscal year 2006 with about the same number of discharges and has an average daily patient census of 292 The focus of treatment is stabilization of acute psychiatric illness and return to the community

ASH provides care through three large services Adult Psychiatric Services Specialty Adult Services and Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services The general adult services program consists of eight acute adult admission units and one forensic unit Specialty adult programs include the older adult unit longerterm cognitive behavioral and multiple disabilities unit and the deaf services and longerterm behaviorally stabilized unit Child and adolescent programs offer services to children to the age of 12 an adolescent girls unit and an adolescent boys unit

Clinical specialties provide assessment evaluation and treatment including psychiatry nursing social work psychology educationrehabilitation services nutrition and spiritual care Additional clinical support is provided through the medical and dental clinics xray and laboratory services and other consultative services The average length of stay at the hospital is about 18 days Services are paid for through general revenue funds from the State of Texas private payment private third party insurance as well as through Medicare and Medicaid programs

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History

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History of the Austin State Hospital
The old Texas State Lunatic Asylum which now houses the administrative staff of the Austin State Hospital is the third oldest standing public building our state With its completion in 1861 in the lush countryside north of Austin the hospital stood as a beacon of hope and tolerance for the treatment of the mentally ill

The asylum movement in the United States and Europe reflected the belief that people recently diagnosed with mental ailments could regain their sanity in an idealized environment free from the stress of everyday life Asylums strived to provide a healthy diet exercise fresh air adequate rest a strict daily routine social contact and a kind but firm approach This humanitarian philosophy marked a vast leap forward from earlier theories that mental illness stemmed from demonic possession and proscribed treatments such as flogging and cold water to drive out the demons Texas modeled its asylum after an innovative program developed in Philadelphia by Dr Thomas Kirkbride The Philadelphia maverick had pioneered new progressive treatments for the mentally insane including behavior modification drug therapy and an unrestrictive environment

The lunatic asylum later renamed the Austin State Hospital in 1925 strived to offer patients the most modern treatments including art music and recreational therapy It also provided stateoftheart medical care such as psychiatric drugs hydrotherapy electroconvulsive shock treatment and on rare occasions surgical lobotomy From 19041928 the asylum also housed the Pasteur Institute which provided rabies shots to afflicted Texans Visitors to the administration building can view intriguing medical artifacts

The original building which was dressed up with a classical portico in 1904 offered three stories and a basement for administrative offices and staff and patient quarters Its thick hard plaster walls could endure frequent scrubbing and the thick limestone walls and high ceilings offered relief from the Texas heat Noisy patients were separated from quiet ones and all patients lived above ground in rooms with at least one window As the patient population grew from the initial 12 patients to nearly 700 by the late 1890s additional wings and buildings sprang up The asylum functioned as a selfsupporting village with artesian wells gardens a dairy ice factory and a sewingtailor shop These other historic structures were eventually destroyed by fire or demolished to make way for newer buildings

Early residents of Hyde Park were drawn to the expansive landscaped asylum grounds taking carriage rides on the 700 yards of graveled drives and enjoying picnics under the live oak trees and along the banks of lily ponds Children of the era explored the Japanesestyle gardens and paddled small boats to the tiny islands dotting the large lake on the southeastern corner of the property

While a sense of timelessness pervaded the beautiful fenced grounds the hospital nonetheless felt the impact of the passing years So many attendants fell ill or fled with fear during the devastating 1918 influenza epidemic that patients had to run the wards World War II brought personnel and food shortages Racial integration began in 1958 ending the practice of separating black patients into inferior quarters The new emphasis on personal freedom championed by the civil rights movement helped fuel the community care movement eventually emptying the beds of the Austin State Hospital and other institutions

The Austin State Hospital which once housed more than 3000 patients during the 1960s currently serves as an acute care facility for its 300 patients Patients typically stay several days to a few weeks until their condition stabilizes and they can return to their communities The focus of treatment is stabilization of acute psychiatric illnesses and return to the community where outpatient support services can be provided by the community centers that work with ASH