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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.

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.

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.

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.