Bryce Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bryce Hospital |
|
|---|---|
Front of Administration Building, the first and oldest building on campus, completed in 1859.
|
|
| Geography | |
| Location | Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°12′59″N 87°32′18″W / 33.21626°N 87.53831°W |
| Organization | |
| Care system | Public |
| Hospital type | Specialist |
| Services | |
| Beds | 268 |
| Speciality | Psychiatric hospital |
| History | |
| Founded | 1861 |
Bryce Hospital opened in 1861 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is Alabama's oldest and largest hospital for people needing special mental health care. At first, it was called the Alabama State Hospital for the Insane. Later, it was known as the Alabama Insane Hospital. The main building is considered a beautiful example of architecture.
Today, the hospital has 268 beds. It helps patients with serious mental health needs. They receive treatment and support to get better. On the same campus, there is another hospital called Mary Starke Harper Geriatric Psychiatry Hospital. It has 100 beds for older patients. The main hospital building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. This means it is an important historical site.
Contents
History of Bryce Hospital
Plans for a state hospital for people with mental illnesses in Alabama started in 1852. The new hospital was designed using ideas from activists Thomas Story Kirkbride and Dorothea Dix. These ideas were about creating a calm and healing environment. Dorothea Dix's efforts were especially important in getting the hospital built.
The architect Samuel Sloan designed the building. He used a style called Italianate and followed the Kirkbride Plan. Construction began in 1853 and finished in 1859. This hospital was the first building in Tuscaloosa to have gas lighting and central heating.
Peter Bryce's Leadership
The Alabama Insane Hospital opened in 1861. It was later renamed after its first leader, Peter Bryce. He was a young doctor from South Carolina who was a pioneer in mental health care. Dorothea Dix had suggested him for the job. Bryce had studied how mental health was cared for in Europe. He also worked in hospitals in New Jersey and South Carolina.
Peter Bryce believed in strict rules for the staff. But he also demanded that patients be treated with kindness and respect. He did not like using straitjackets or other ways to hold patients back. By 1882, these methods were stopped completely. Patients were encouraged to do activities like farming, sewing, and crafts.
Between 1872 and the early 1880s, some patients even wrote and edited their own newspaper called The Meteor. This newspaper gives us a rare look into what life was like in a mental hospital back then. At that time, Peter Bryce's way of running the hospital was seen as one of the best in the country.
Challenges and Changes
Over time, the number of patients at Bryce Hospital grew very large. Sadly, the quality of care became very poor. In 1967, Alabama Governor Lurleen Wallace visited the hospital. She was very upset by what she saw. She worked to get more money for the hospital.
By 1970, Alabama was last among all U.S. states in how much money it spent on mental health. Bryce Hospital had 5,200 patients living in very difficult conditions. That same year, a special tax meant for mental health care was cut. Many employees were laid off, including doctors and therapists.
The Wyatt v. Stickney Lawsuit
In October 1970, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the patients. A 15-year-old named Ricky Wyatt, who was housed at Bryce but did not have a mental illness, became the main person in the lawsuit. His aunt, who was one of the laid-off employees, testified about the bad conditions.
The lawsuit, called Wyatt v. Stickney, grew to include patients from other mental health facilities in Alabama. The court eventually ordered new rules for how people with mental illnesses or developmental disabilities should be cared for in hospitals. These rules became known as the "Wyatt Standards."
The "Wyatt Standards" focused on four main things:
- A safe and kind environment for patients.
- Enough qualified staff to provide treatment.
- Personalized treatment plans for each patient.
- Allowing patients as much freedom as possible.
The Wyatt v. Stickney case lasted for 33 years. It was the longest mental health case in United States history. In 2003, the case was finally closed. The court found that Alabama had made great progress in meeting the standards. These standards have been used as a model for mental health care across the country.
A New Chapter for Bryce Hospital
On December 30, 2009, Governor Bob Riley announced that Bryce Hospital would move to a new building. The University of Alabama (UA) would take over the old Bryce campus. The university had wanted this land for many years because it was next to their campus.
The deal was worth $72 million. This included money for building a new hospital. The university paid $50 million in cash. The state also gave $22 million from bonds for mental health. The university also promised $10 million to clean up the old Bryce grounds and restore the main hospital building.
The sale of the old Bryce Hospital to the University of Alabama was completed on May 27, 2010. In 2014, the remaining patients moved to the new Bryce Hospital. This new hospital was built on the grounds of the former Partlow Center.
The University of Alabama began a big project to restore the old Bryce campus. The main buildings now house a welcome center for the university. They also have two museums: one about mental health history and one about the university's history. There are also spaces for events and classrooms for students studying performing arts. This project is still ongoing.
Gallery
-
Entrance gate to the campus, now called the Peter Bryce Preserve.
-
Detail of front portico on the Administration Building, now The University of Alabama Welcome Center.
-
A postcard depicting Bryce Hospital around the turn of the 20th century
-
Former Women's Psychiatric Center. Renovated around 2017 and renamed University Hall.
-
Admission building, where most patients are located
See also
- Alabama Department of Mental Health
- Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
- The Meteor, a newspaper written by patients at Bryce Hospital between 1872 and 1881.
