St. Joseph's Hospital () is a

psychiatric hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

History

The hospital, which was designed by Francis Johnston and William Murphy, opened as the Limerick Asylum in January 1827. It became Limerick Mental Hospital in the 1920s and went on to become St. Joseph's Hospital in the 1950s. After the introduction of

deinstitutionalisation Deinstitutionalisation (or deinstitutionalization) is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health services for those diagnosed with a mental disorder or developmental disability. In the 1950 ...

in the late 1980s the hospital went into a period of decline. However, despite calls for its closure, the hospital continues to offer rehabilitation services.

References

{{Irish hospitals Hospitals in County Limerick Fintans Hospital buildings completed in 1827 1827 establishments in Ireland Hospitals established in 1827 Health Service Executive hospitals