Kankakee Mental Health Center
Encyclopedia
Samuel H. Shapiro Developmental Center formerly named Kankakee State Hospital, is a psychiatric hospital
located in Kankakee County
, Illinois
on the banks of the Kankakee River. In 1877 the General Assembly established the Illinois Eastern Hospital for the Insane and empowered the Governor to appoint a seven-member commission to select a site within northeastern Illinois on which to locate the institution. After selection of a site in Kankakee, three trustees were appointed by the Governor to supervise planning and construction, choose a superintendent, and operate the hospital, subject to inspection by the Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities.
The hospital opened on September 4, 1879 and began to operate a training school for nurses in 1886. The board of trustees and the Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities were abolished in 1909 when control of all state charitable institutions passed to the newly created Board of Administration. As part of this reorganization, the institution became Kankakee State Hospital effective January 1, 1910.
In 1917, the Department of Public Welfare assumed responsibility for Kankakee State Hospital and retained control until the creation of the Department of Mental Health in 1961 (L. 1961, p. 2666). In 1975, the institution became a center for the care and treatment of the developmentally disabled only. All other patients were transferred to other mental health facilities and the institution became the Kankakee Mental Health Center. It was finally renamed the Samuel H. Shapiro
Developmental Center in honor of the Illinois Governor (1968–1969) who resided in Kankakee.
There are underground utility tunnels leading from building to building in the facility. These tunnels were similar to nearby Manteno State Hospital's tunnels. This is a result of having a central steam plant for building heating, and it is typical of hospitals constructed under the Kirkbride Plan
.
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...
located in Kankakee County
Kankakee County, Illinois
Kankakee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 113,449, which is an increase of 9.3% from 103,833 in 2000. Its county seat is Kankakee....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
on the banks of the Kankakee River. In 1877 the General Assembly established the Illinois Eastern Hospital for the Insane and empowered the Governor to appoint a seven-member commission to select a site within northeastern Illinois on which to locate the institution. After selection of a site in Kankakee, three trustees were appointed by the Governor to supervise planning and construction, choose a superintendent, and operate the hospital, subject to inspection by the Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities.
The hospital opened on September 4, 1879 and began to operate a training school for nurses in 1886. The board of trustees and the Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities were abolished in 1909 when control of all state charitable institutions passed to the newly created Board of Administration. As part of this reorganization, the institution became Kankakee State Hospital effective January 1, 1910.
In 1917, the Department of Public Welfare assumed responsibility for Kankakee State Hospital and retained control until the creation of the Department of Mental Health in 1961 (L. 1961, p. 2666). In 1975, the institution became a center for the care and treatment of the developmentally disabled only. All other patients were transferred to other mental health facilities and the institution became the Kankakee Mental Health Center. It was finally renamed the Samuel H. Shapiro
Samuel H. Shapiro
Samuel Harvey Shapiro was the 34th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1968 to 1969. He was a member of the Democratic Party....
Developmental Center in honor of the Illinois Governor (1968–1969) who resided in Kankakee.
Today
As of the end of fiscal year 2009, the center had 1,049.6 employees and an annual appropriation of $75,494,500. As of the end of fiscal year 2007, it had 604 residents and an annual cost per resident of $5,612.There are underground utility tunnels leading from building to building in the facility. These tunnels were similar to nearby Manteno State Hospital's tunnels. This is a result of having a central steam plant for building heating, and it is typical of hospitals constructed under the Kirkbride Plan
Kirkbride Plan
The Kirkbride Plan refers to a system of mental asylum design advocated by Philadelphia psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride in the mid-19th century.-History:The establishment of state mental hospitals in the U.S...
.