Western State Hospital is a

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

located at 9601 Steilacoom Boulevard SW in

Lakewood, Washington Lakewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 63,612 at the 2020 census. History Lakewood was officially incorporated on February 28, 1996. Historical names include Tacoma/Lakewood Center and Lakes Distric ...

. Administered by the

Washington Department of Social and Health Services The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is Washington's social services department. The agency has its headquarters in Office Building Two (OB-2) in Olympia, the state capital. Annually, 2.2 million children, families, vulnerable adu ...

(DSHS), it is a large facility with 806 beds, and Washington's second-oldest

state-owned enterprise A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a Government, government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn Profit (econom ...

(after the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

). One of two state-owned adult psychiatric hospitals, the other being Eastern State Hospital in

Medical Lake Medical Lake is a small city in Spokane County, eastern Washington, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 5,060. The city is the site of a psychiatric hospital, Eastern State Hospital, and of Fairchild Air Force Base, two major ...

, the hospital currently

treats ''Treats'' is a 1975 romantic drama play by Christopher Hampton about a love triangle. Plot The play is set in 1974, London, in a single room in Ann's flat. There are three characters: Ann, her former boyfriend Dave, and her lover Patrick. Ann ...

patients using

psychiatric medication A psychiatric or psychotropic medication is a psychoactive drug taken to exert an effect on the chemical makeup of the brain and nervous system. Thus, these medications are used to treat mental illnesses. These medications are typically made o ...

mental health counseling A mental health counselor (MHC), or counselor (counsellor in British English), is a person who works with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health. Such persons may help individuals deal with issues associated with ad ...

group therapy Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group. The term can legitimately refer to any form of psychotherapy when delivered in a group format, i ...

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

psychiatric rehabilitation Psychiatric rehabilitation, also known as psych social rehabilitation, and sometimes simplified to psych rehab by providers, is the process of restoration of community functioning and well-being of an individual diagnosed in mental health or emotio ...

, and

behavior modification Behavior modification is an early approach that used respondent and operant conditioning to change behavior. Based on methodological behaviorism, overt behavior was modified with consequences, including positive and negative reinforcement continge ...

therapies A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

. The hospital is divided into 4 specific acute treatment areas: PTRC Central and South for the treatment of civil and voluntarily committed adult patients, PTRC East for the treatment of older and geriatric patients, both civil and voluntary, the Center for Forensic Services that provides court-ordered evaluations and treatment for patients with legal charges or convictions, and the Child Study and Treatment Center, which provides treatment for children under the age of 18 years.

History

The facility was established in

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

as Fort Steilacoom Asylum in 1871, predating statehood by almost 20 years, in former buildings of

Fort Steilacoom ''For the adjacent park, see Fort Steilacoom Park'' Fort Steilacoom was founded by the U.S. Army in 1849 near Lake Steilacoom. It was among the first military fortifications built by the U.S. north of the Columbia River in what was to become the ...

, which was a U.S. Army post from 1849 to 1868. In 1875, the territorial government took control due to complaints about patient neglect, brutal abuse and poor living conditions. The original buildings of the

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...

were demolished in 1886 to make way for a larger structure. It was renamed Western Washington Hospital for the Insane and the main ward was completed in 1887. In each of the following decades numerous out-buildings were constructed. In 1915, it was renamed Western State Hospital and grew in various stages. One of its better known patients was

Frances Farmer Frances Elena Farmer (September 19, 1913August 1, 1970) was an American actress and television hostess. She appeared in over a dozen feature films over the course of her career, though she garnered notoriety for sensationalized accounts of her l ...

Recent controversies

Following news reports concerning serious understaffing at the hospital and several involuntarily committed patients escaping, including a person accused of murder, on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, governor

Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee (; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician, lawyer, and economist who has served as the 23rd governor of Washington since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representat ...

fired Western State Hospital's Chief Executive Officer, Ron Adler. The escape follows years of other problems including workplace discrimination, sexual harassment lawsuits, and excessively long patient admission times.

Notable patients

, actress *Isaac Zamora, perpetrator of the 2008 Skagit County shootings

References

External links

Official Website at DSHSWestern State Hospital Memorial Cemetery
at

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{{authority control Psychiatric hospitals in Washington (state) Hospitals established in 1871 Hospital buildings completed in 1887 Buildings and structures in Pierce County, Washington History of Pierce County, Washington Lakewood, Washington 1871 establishments in Washington Territory