Creedmoor Psychiatric Center
Encyclopedia
Creedmoor Psychiatric Center is a psychiatric hospital
in Queens Village, Queens
, New York
, United States
that provides inpatient, outpatient and residential services for severely mentally ill patients. The history of the hospital and its campus, which occupies more than 300 acres (1.2 km²) and includes more than 50 buildingshttp://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/facilities/crpc/facility.htm, reflects both the urbanization of the borough of Queens
, and a series of changes in psychiatric care.
took the name Creedmoor, apparently from the phrase “Creed’s Moor,” describing the local geography http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/facilities/crpc/history.htm. In the early 1870s, New York State purchased land from the Creeds for use by the National Guard
and by the National Rifle Association
(NRA) as a firing range. The Creedmoor rifle range hosted prestigious international shooting competitions, which became the forerunner of the Palma Trophy competition. In 1892, as a result of declining public interest and mounting noise complaints from the growing neighborhood, the NRA deeded its land back to the state.
(1982), a biography of a patient pseudonymously called Sylvia Frumkin
. Dr. Lauretta Bender
, child neuropsychiatrist, has been reported as practicing there in the 1950s and '60s.
The hospital's census had declined by the early 1960s, however, as the introduction of new medications, along with other factors, led to the deinstitutionalization of many psychiatric patients around the world. In 1975, the land in Glen Oaks
formerly used to raise food for the hospital was opened to the public as the Queens County Farm Museum. Another part of the campus in Glen Oaks was developed into the Queens Children's Psychiatric Center. In 2004, the remaining part of Creedmoor land in Glen Oaks was developed into the Glen Oaks public school campus, including The Queens High School of Teaching
. By 2006, other parts of the Creedmoor campus had been sold and the inpatient census was down to 470.http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/facilities/crpc/history.htm There are several disused buildings on the property, including the long-abandoned Building 25
, which showcases artistic works by patients and is the first museum of its kind in the U.S.http://www.mentalwellness.com/html/mw/pd_mentalhealth.xml?article=index_programs.jspf
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
in Queens Village, Queens
Queens Village, Queens
Queens Village is mostly a residential neighborhood in the eastern part of the New York City borough of Queens.The Queens Village Post Office serves the ZIP codes of 11427 , 11428 , and 11429...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that provides inpatient, outpatient and residential services for severely mentally ill patients. The history of the hospital and its campus, which occupies more than 300 acres (1.2 km²) and includes more than 50 buildingshttp://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/facilities/crpc/facility.htm, reflects both the urbanization of the borough of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, and a series of changes in psychiatric care.
Early history of the site
The hospital's name derives from the Creeds, a family that previously farmed the site. The local railroad station on a line that ran from Long Island City to BethpageBethpage
*Bethphage - was a place in ancient Israel, mentioned as the place from which Jesus sent the disciples to find a donkey and a colt with her upon which he would ride into Jerusalem...
took the name Creedmoor, apparently from the phrase “Creed’s Moor,” describing the local geography http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/facilities/crpc/history.htm. In the early 1870s, New York State purchased land from the Creeds for use by the National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
and by the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
(NRA) as a firing range. The Creedmoor rifle range hosted prestigious international shooting competitions, which became the forerunner of the Palma Trophy competition. In 1892, as a result of declining public interest and mounting noise complaints from the growing neighborhood, the NRA deeded its land back to the state.
History of the hospital
In 1912, the Farm Colony of Brooklyn State Hospital was opened, with 32 patients, at Creedmoor by the Lunacy Commission of New York State, reflecting a trend towards sending the swelling population of urban psychiatric patients to the fresh air of outlying areas. By 1918, Creedmoor’s own census had swollen to 150, housed in the abandoned National Guard barracks. By 1959, the hospital housed 7,000 inpatients.http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/facilities/crpc/history.htm Creedmoor is described as a crowded, understaffed institution in Susan Sheehan's Is There No Place On Earth For Me?Is There No Place On Earth For Me?
Is There No Place On Earth For Me? written by Susan Sheehan and published in 1982 by Houghton Mifflin, it won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. This book recounts the lonely, harrowing life of Sylvia Frumkin who is diagnosed schizophrenic....
(1982), a biography of a patient pseudonymously called Sylvia Frumkin
Sylvia Frumkin
Sylvia Frumkin is the pseudonym given for the schizophrenic subject of Susan Sheehan's 1982 Pulitzer-prizewinning biography Is There No Place On Earth For Me?, first published serially in The New Yorker. Her behavior during her periods of schizophrenia was colorful, to say the least...
. Dr. Lauretta Bender
Lauretta Bender
Lauretta Bender, M.D. was a child neuropsychiatrist, best known as the creator ofthe Bender-Gestalt Test.- Early life :Bender began to be interested in the development of language disorders and learning problems, and their causes, when she was in third grade, around the age of eight...
, child neuropsychiatrist, has been reported as practicing there in the 1950s and '60s.
The hospital's census had declined by the early 1960s, however, as the introduction of new medications, along with other factors, led to the deinstitutionalization of many psychiatric patients around the world. In 1975, the land in Glen Oaks
Glen Oaks, Queens
Glen Oaks is a neighborhood in the easternmost portion of the New York City Borough of Queens. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 13.-Location:...
formerly used to raise food for the hospital was opened to the public as the Queens County Farm Museum. Another part of the campus in Glen Oaks was developed into the Queens Children's Psychiatric Center. In 2004, the remaining part of Creedmoor land in Glen Oaks was developed into the Glen Oaks public school campus, including The Queens High School of Teaching
The Queens High School of Teaching
The Queens High School of Teaching, Liberal Arts and the Sciences is a public high school in Glen Oaks, New York located on the Frank A. Padavan Campus, a sprawling landscaped campus, which contains QHST and two other neighboring 'kindergarten-8th' grade schools: P.S./I.S. 266 and P.S./I.S. 208...
. By 2006, other parts of the Creedmoor campus had been sold and the inpatient census was down to 470.http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/facilities/crpc/history.htm There are several disused buildings on the property, including the long-abandoned Building 25
Programs
The hospital’s notable ventures include The Living MuseumThe Living Museum
The Living Museum in Queens County, New York City, USA, is an art studio dedicated to presenting the art produced by patients at the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, the largest state psychiatric care institution in New York City....
, which showcases artistic works by patients and is the first museum of its kind in the U.S.http://www.mentalwellness.com/html/mw/pd_mentalhealth.xml?article=index_programs.jspf