Allentown State Hospital was a psychiatric hospital

Psychiatric hospital

Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...

 located at 1600 Hanover Ave. in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...

. It served the counties of Lehigh

Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

-Climate:Most of the county's climate is considered to fall in the humid continental climate zone. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Precipitation is almost uniformly distributed throughout the year....

, Northampton

Northampton County, Pennsylvania

As of the 2010 census, the county was 86.3% White, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.2% were two or more races, and 3.8% were some other race. 10.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.As of the census of...

, Carbon

Carbon County, Pennsylvania

As of the census of 2000, there were 58,802 people, 23,701 households, and 16,424 families residing in the county. The population density was 154 people per square mile . There were 30,492 housing units at an average density of 80 per square mile...

, Monroe

Monroe County, Pennsylvania

-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there are 176,567 people, 49,454 households, and 36,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 people per square mile...

, and Pike

Pike County, Pennsylvania

-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River * Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...

. It was one of seven remaining psychiatric hospitals in Pennsylvania.

History

Allentown State Hospital was planned as early as 1901 but the opening was delayed until October 3, 1912. The hospital cost $1,931,270 to build. The population hit its peak in 1950 with 2,012 patients. In November 1998, Allentown State Hospital was the first psychiatric hospital in the United States to be completely seclusion-free. Due to current community mental health efforts, the hospital currently houses only 175 patients.

Status and future

Due to the sharp decline in the need for psychiatric hospitals, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has closed the hospital. Some residents have been transported to the Wernersville State Hospital in Berks County. Others have been placed in apartments within the community. The hospital closed on December 31, 2010.

External links

• Official Site
• Hospital-Data page