Mendota Mental Health Institute
Encyclopedia
Mendota Mental Health Institute, formerly known as Mendota State Hospital, is a psychiatric hospital
located in Madison, Wisconsin
north of Lake Mendota
. Opened July 14, 1860, it was the first mental hospital in Wisconsin
. It is operated by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Accredited by the Joint Commission, it was one of the first mental hospitals to be so accredited. Portions of the facility are included in the Wisconsin Memorial Hospital Historic District
, District #88002183.
The facility opened in 1860 as the Wisconsin Hospital for the Insane and, in 1935, was renamed Mendota State Hospital. In 1974, the facility was renamed Mendota Mental Health Institute. Its highest patient population was 1,300 in 1959. In 1997, there were fewer than 300 patients.
In July 2010 the institute lost its federal certification for its adult intake unit. Along with this it also lost about $1 million in federal funding. County taxes will be relied upon to fill the void until it regains certification.
The notorious "Butcher of Plainfield", Ed Gein
was housed in this hospital after his previous residence, the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, was converted into a prison.
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 in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
north of Lake Mendota
Lake Mendota
Lake Mendota is the northernmost and largest of the four lakes near Madison, Wisconsin. The lake borders Madison on the north, east and south, Middleton on the west, Shorewood Hills on the southwest, Maple Bluff on the northeast, and Westport on the northwest....
. Opened July 14, 1860, it was the first mental hospital in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. It is operated by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Accredited by the Joint Commission, it was one of the first mental hospitals to be so accredited. Portions of the facility are included in the Wisconsin Memorial Hospital Historic District
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
, District #88002183.
The facility opened in 1860 as the Wisconsin Hospital for the Insane and, in 1935, was renamed Mendota State Hospital. In 1974, the facility was renamed Mendota Mental Health Institute. Its highest patient population was 1,300 in 1959. In 1997, there were fewer than 300 patients.
In July 2010 the institute lost its federal certification for its adult intake unit. Along with this it also lost about $1 million in federal funding. County taxes will be relied upon to fill the void until it regains certification.
The notorious "Butcher of Plainfield", Ed Gein
Ed Gein
Edward Theodore "Ed" Gein - July 26, 1984) was an American murderer and body snatcher. His crimes, committed around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, gathered widespread notoriety after authorities discovered Gein had exhumed corpses from local graveyards and fashioned trophies and keepsakes...
was housed in this hospital after his previous residence, the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, was converted into a prison.