Showing 10 results

Archival description
Only top-level descriptions Provincial Mental Hospital, Essondale
Print preview View:

Mental Health Services minutes of meetings and other material

  • GR-0264
  • Series
  • 1938-1966

The series consists of records created by the Mental Health Services between 1938 and 1966.

Box 1 (880340-1654): Minutes of meetings of the Council of Psychiatric Nurses (1951-1958), including lists of licensed nurses and nurses whose licenses were cancelled.

Box 2 (002235-0001): correspondence, report, and brief regarding an investigation of certain conditions at Essondale (Bloomfield 1947); report by a special committee on operations of the Provincial Mental Hospital (1948); report by the Inspector of Hospitals on some phases of the operations of the Provincial Mental Hospital of B.C. (Percy Ward Report, 1943); a survey of the Mental Hospitals of British Columbia (Hamilton Report, 1938); report on the Provincial Mental Hospital of British Columbia made by the central inspection board of the American Psychiatric Association (1951); Mental Hospital Survey Report (1966).

Photographs (accession 197909-040) include ca. 350 b&w and colour images of provincial mental hospitals including Essondale, Jericho, Kamloops; Marpole, Allco Infirmary, Homes for Aged, Tranquille, Willow Chest Clinic, Burnaby-residential treatment unit, Woodlands and Colquitz mental home closing, January 1964

British Columbia. Mental Health Services

Provincial secretary correspondence

  • GR-0344
  • Series
  • 1917-1926

This series consists of correspondence inward and outward, and interdepartmental memos of the Provincial Secretary, pertaining to provincial mental health care institutions, mothers' pensions, child welfare, and adoption laws from 1918-1926.

British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

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

District Agriculturist memoranda

  • GR-1813
  • Series
  • 1930

Copy of a memorandum (undated) to P.D. Walker, Deputy Provincial Secretary, from Rodney DeLisle, District Agriculturalist (Columbia-Kootenay), describing his visit to Colony Farm at the Provincial Mental Hospital (Essondale), Alexandra Ranch at Tranquille Sanatorium and the Provincial Industrial School for Boys at Port Coquitlam in 1930.

British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

Mental Health Services patient case files

  • GR-2880
  • Series
  • 1872-1987

The series consists of patient case files for persons admitted to any of the facilities of the Mental Health Services between 1872 and 1987, including Essondale (later Riverview), Valleyview, Dellview, Skeenaview, Crease Clinic and Colquitz Provincial Mental Hospital for the Criminally Insane (Victoria).

The earliest files are slim, usually including only the doctor's certificates of commitment. The early files include persons who were admitted to the lunatic asylum as soon as it opened in Victoria, having previously been confined in the gaol.

A patient case file may include: a photograph or multiple photographs of the patient; certificate of examination of a patient's clothing and person on admission; admission details including diagnosis; medical reports and certificates; application for an order for admission of a patient or of a "lunatic" wandering at large; laboratory report; sleep and weight chart; clinical chart including observation of patient; clinical record; permission for therapy and treatment; correspondence; ward notes; records of family history, personal history, present illness, mental status and physical examination; visitor register; propensity slip; admission information to the Inspector of Municipalities; doctor's reports; statements and letters written by the patient; list of personal property; psychopathic history record (form filled in by next of kin); special discharge on probation; neuropsychiatric cases on release from hospital; Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment medical history of an invalid form; Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment medical report for engagement on re-treatment; certificate of registration of death; report of death to Provincial Secretary; notice of registration of death; autopsy; news clippings about the patient and a published obituary.

British Columbia. Mental Health Services

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

Henry Whittaker fonds

  • PR-0127
  • Fonds
  • 1929-1931

The fonds consists of incoming letters and clippings regarding the construction of Essondale Mental Home.

Whittaker, Henry, b. 1886

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