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Archival description
Only top-level descriptions People with mental disabilities--Institutional care--British Columbia
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Health Security project files

  • GR-0089
  • Series
  • 1972-1975

The series consists of Health Security project files created by the Health Security Program Project between 1972 and 1975. It includes working papers prepared for the Project together with special reports and research papers, general subject files from the H.S.P.P. office including briefs presented to the Project, and notes and correspondence of the Director of the Project, Dr. Richard G. Foulkes.

Published material, chiefly government documents, were transferred to the Legislative Library and the library of the Health Education Branch of the Ministry of Health.

British Columbia. Dept. of Health. Health Security Program Project

Minister of Health records

  • GR-0118
  • Series
  • 1953-1965

The series consists of records created by the Dept. of Health Services and Hospital Insurance between 1953 and 1965.
They contain the executive files of the Minister, Eric Martin and include files relating to Woodlands, the Provincial Mental Hospital, Valleyview, Dellview, Skeenaview, Tranquille, the Crease Clinic, various mental health centres, and legislation relating to mental health. The files also include monthly reports on the activities of the various branches of the Mental Health Services for the years 1960-1964.

British Columbia. Dept. of Health Services and Hospital Insurance

Mental Health Branch executive records

  • GR-0133
  • Series
  • 1936-1972

The series consists of central office files of the Directors of Mental Health Services and the Deputy Ministers of the Mental Health Branch created between 1936 and 1972.

This is a set of central office files of the Directors of Mental Health Services (MHS) and the Deputy Ministers of the Mental Health Branch. Before 1959 the Director of Mental Health Services (under a variety of titles), reported to the Deputy Provincial Secretary. Between 1959 and 1968 the positions of Director and Deputy Minister were held by the same person. In 1968 the positions were separated, with Dr. H.W. Bridge as the Director of Mental Health Services, located in Vancouver, and Dr. Tucker as the Deputy Minister, located in Victoria. In September 1971 the position of Director of Mental Health Services was terminated. The statutory obligations of the Director were assumed by the Deputy Minister.

Between 1872 and 1959 MHS was part of the Department of the Provincial Secretary. In 1959 MHS joined the [Public] Health Branch and the Hospital Insurance Service in the new Department of Health Services and Hospital Insurance.

The records include a few files of Dr. Arthur L. Crease, who retired as Director of Mental Hygiene and Psychiatry in 1950 after 16 years at the helm of the Mental Health Services. The bulk of the files were created during the tenures of Dr. A.M. Gee (Director, 1951 58) and Dr. A.E. Davidson (Director and Deputy Minister, 1958 67). Dr. Fred G. "Tommy" Tucker was the Deputy Minister between 1967 and 1975.

Also included are files of the Deputy Director (Dr. Tucker), the Nursing consultant to the Branch (Miss Lonergan), and the Coordinator of Adult Psychiatric Services (Dr. H.W. Bridge).

The time period which these records represent includes many major developments in terms of treatment, insulin shock therapy (1937), electric shock therapy (1942), lobotomy (1945), penicillin and many other drugs. It also includes many new developments in care delivery, new Homes for the Aged in the 1940s and the Crease Clinic of Psychological Medicine in 1949, and the development of community mental health care centres in the 1960s.

British Columbia. Mental Health Services

Mental Health Branch records

  • GR-0377
  • Series
  • 1947-1969

The series consists of the records of Mr. Matheson, Business Manager (later Comptroller) of the Mental Hospitals. It includes agendas and minutes of the assessment committee from 1947 to 1965, outlining assets of the patients and their immediate family to determine their ability to pay to stay in mental health facilities. The series also includes records relating to branch staff conferences (1960-1968), meetings and records of the core committee for the planning of mental health facilities (1964-1965). Additional file subjects include visit to the California Neuropsychiatric Institute, Mental Health Centre Conference, Comptroller's monthly reports, and BC Government Employees Associate strike committee. Records related to Woodlands and Essondale.

British Columbia. Mental Health Services

Mental Health Services executive records

  • GR-0379
  • Series
  • 1948-1971

These are the files of the Deputy Minister of Mental Health Services, primarily for the period 1968-1970. The files include some material from the previous Deputy Minister and Directors of the Mental Health Services under the Provincial Secretary.

The records are arranged in a subject classification system. Files that begin with I-4 and I-5 are Professional files. Files that are in the range I-6 to I-20 are Technical files.

British Columbia. Dept. of Health and Welfare

Royal Commission on Mental Hygiene (1925)

  • GR-0865
  • Series
  • 1925-1928

This series consists of the records of the Royal Commission on Mental Hygiene, 1925-128. The records include correspondence, material gathered in the research process, reports to the commission, clippings, and reports of the commission. The series is divided into the following subseries:

A. Commission Correspondence
B. Minutes Of Commission Meetings:
C. Special Subject Files And Working Papers
D. Reports
E. Miscellany: Articles, Published Reports, Etc.

Royal Commission on Mental Hygiene

Commission on the Home of the Friendless (1937)

  • GR-0907
  • Series
  • 1937

This series consists of the records of the Royal Commission regarding the Home of the Friendless, 1937. Records include the Commissioner's original annotated report.

British Columbia. Royal Commission re the Home of the Friendless [1937]

Commission on Welfare Institutions and Nursing Homes

  • GR-0911
  • Series
  • 1939

This series consists of records of the Commission on Welfare Institutions and Nursing Homes, 1939. Records include correspondence regarding the commission, transcripts of proceedings and evidence regarding a particular institution in Vancouver, and the Commissioner's report.

British Columbia. Commission on Welfare Institutions and Nursing Homes [1939]

Mental hospital records

  • GR-1754
  • Series
  • 1872-1962

The series consists of records created by the Provincial Mental Health Services between 1872 and 1962 and includes
admission registers (1872-1902 and 1913-1960), case histories (1887-1908), patients registers (alphabetical lists of patients) (1900-1913 and 1922-1946), probation records (1911-1939), a patient transfer book (1918-1962) and a book of medical certificates of death (1911-1915).

The series also includes the journal of W. Mackie (February 8 - March 2, 1935), who accompanied 65 Chinese patients who were deported to China in 1935. The journal lists the names of the patients and gives information about their voyage. The annual report of the mental hospital for 1935 (Sessional Papers 1936) mentions that 65 Chinese patients were repatriated that year.

The registers contain useful information, including age, sex, marital status, paying or free, date of admission, religion, country of birth, present residence, duration of mental malady, diagnosis, supposed cause, number of attacks, occupation, degree of education and bodily state on admission. The admission registers are an index to the patient files because the register number assigned at admission was used as the patient file number.

British Columbia. Mental Health Services

Administrative records

  • GR-2866
  • Series
  • 1930-1985

The series consists of miscellaneous administrative records created by the Tranquille Sanatorium between 1930 and 1984.

The records include certificates of accreditation; historical essays and notes regarding the history of the institution; pamphlets produced for staff orientation and visitors; photocopied news clippings regarding the closure of Tranquille and a small amount of minutes and correspondence of the Medical Superintendent ca. 1969. The series also includes a file from 1930-1941 regarding the water licence, rail crossing and property leases; scrapbooks, which have been microfilmed; 48 b&w photographs showing Kamp Kiwanis and 14 colour slides which document a 1969 presentation of art ceremony at the institution.

Tranquille

Provincial mental hospital registers

  • GR-3019
  • Series
  • 1934-1971

The series consists of admission registers for the provincial mental hospitals (1947-1971) and Crease Clinic (1951-1971), registers of persons denied admission to the mental hospitals (1952-1964), probation, discharge and death registers, supervisor daily report volumes (daily ward census, lists of persons admitted, discharged, transferred) (1953-1954; 1960-1967) and a record of operations and patients seen in consultation (for non-psychiatric conditions) (1951-1957).
The series also includes alphabetical indexes of various kinds which cover the period 1934-1966. These appear to have been created as indexes to current residents at various times. As the patients were discharged they were crossed off the lists in some cases

Riverview Hospital, Essondale

Glendale Lodge Society records

  • GR-3678
  • Series
  • 1970 - 1996

The series consists of the records of the board of directors, the Administrative Heads Committee (Department Head Committee), Accreditation Committee, Policy and Procedure Committee, Senior Management Team, Resident Services Committee, Resident Programme and Policy Committee, the Implementation Committee, and the Finance and Administration Committee.

The records includes meeting minutes, executive director’s reports, Glendale/Tillicum administrator’s reports, Oak Bay Lodge reports, chief executive officer’s reports, department month-end reports and audits, and the annual reports of the society and of various departments. This reporting includes resident incident reports (numbers of incidents involving residents on a monthly basis), and reports giving considerable detail on personnel.

Other records in addition to minutes are: correspondence; policy and procedure manuals; reports and studies; the society’s constitution and bylaws; Glendale organization charts (including Tillicum Lodge and Oak Bay Lodge); and a history in booklet form of the society (The Glendale Lodge Society 1970-1982 by Rosemary Neering).

Subject matter includes all aspects of the operation of the facilities. This includes coordination with provincial ministries, (including the Ministry of Social Services, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Services and Housing); appointments of board members; the operation of group homes in general; and all issues surrounding the closure of the Glendale facilities.

The creator of the records had no classification or coding system applied to the records. They are arranged generally by creating body (for example by the name of a committee) and then grouped chronologically.

Glendale Lodge Society

Riverview Hospital historical collection

  • Collection
  • 1872-2008

This series consists of a variety of records created by various provincial mental health institutions from 1872 to 2008. Records relate to the administration and operation of Riverview Hospital and related mental health facilities at the Essondale site in Coquitlam, as well as other facilities across the province. These mental health institutions include: Victoria Asylum, New Westminster Provincial Asylum (later Public Hospital for the Insane or Provincial Hospital for the Insane), Home for the Aged Coquitlam (later Valleyview), Home for the Aged Terrace (later Skeenaview), Home for the Aged Vernon (later Dellview), Crease Clinic, Colony Farm, Colquitz, Woodlands School, Tranquille and other medical facilities.

The names and administrative structure of these institutions changed over time. Mental health functions were originally part of the Provincial Secretary’s mandate; they were transferred to Mental Health Services when it was created in 1950.

These government records were collected by the Riverview Historical Society and include a wide variety of subject matter and media. This includes subjects such as: early development of the Essondale lands and Colony Farm; the construction and expansion of the facility; admissions, transfers, and discharges of patients; administration of patient care; administration of therapy programs; patient and staff recreation; staff and nurse training; operation of the audiovisual department; library services; research into new medical and therapeutic practices; research by staff regarding mental health practices at Riverview and further afield; community involvement; volunteer activity; policy development; the redevelopment of the Riverview lands; general administration; and, administration of other services at the site such as postal, food, laundry, banking, transportation and safety services.

The collection has been arranged into the following series based on record types:

GR-3924 - record books
GR-3925 - operational records
GR-3926 - newsletters
GR-3927 - photographs and other graphic material
GR-3928 - films and videos

Classified as 20000-20 in Operational Records Classification System (ORCS) schedule 144007.

British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary