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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.

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

This series consists of a report of institutions showing number of male and female patients at the end of each month.