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Riverview Hospital (Coquitlam)
Encyclopedia
Riverview Hospital is a mental health facility
located in Coquitlam, British Columbia
, operating under the governance of BC Mental Health & Addiction Services. Originally called The Hospital for the Mind, and then Essondale (in honour of provincial cabinet minister Dr. Henry Esson Young
), Riverview opened in 1913 and had 4,630 patients at its peak. By January of 2009, only 256 active beds remained.
was converted to British Columbia's first facility to house mentally ill patients. Due to overcrowding, Royal Hospital was closed and the patients moved to the new Provincial Asylum for the Insane in 1878. Again facing problems of overcrowding at the turn of the century, in 1904 the provincial government purchased 1000 acres (4 km²) in then-rural Coquitlam for the construction of Riverview Hospital and the adjacent Colony Farm lands.
Patients were originally housed in temporary buildings, and in 1913 the building that would eventually be called West Lawn began treating the 300 most seriously ill male patients. By this time, Colony Farm was producing over 700 tons of crops and 20,000 gallons of milk in a year, using mostly patient labour. British Columbia's first Provincial Botanist, John Davidson, established an arboretum
, nursery and a botanical garden
on the hospital lands, often with the assistance of patients as there was a belief in the therapeutic value. The botanical garden was moved to the new University of British Columbia
in 1916, but the arboretum and nursery remained.
In 1924, the Acute Psychopathic Unit, later called Centre Lawn, opened. Then in 1930, the 675-bed Female Chronic Unit (later called East Lawn) opened. The first phase of what would eventually be called the Crease Clinic, the Veteran's Unit opened in 1934, with the second phase opened in 1949, giving Riverview its most iconic building. Finally in 1955, the Tuberculosis Unit (now called North Lawn) opened, marking the peak of patient residence.
Over the following decades, regional clinics began drawing patients from Riverview, and both advances in treatment and eventual cutbacks in funding resulted in fewer people receiving mental health care province-wide. In 1983, West Lawn closed and farming operations at Colony Farm were discontinued. In 1984, the provincial government sold 57 hectares (141 acre) of Riverview lands to Molnar Developments. Shortly afterward, this land was subdivided and became Riverview Heights, with about 250 single family homes. In 1992 the Crease Clinic closed, in 2005 the East Lawn building closed, and 2007 the North Lawn building was closed.
Other buildings on Riverview Hospital grounds continue as mental health facilities, however their future is uncertain. The remaining 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) of this still-active hospital has been the subject of much controversy between developers, environmentalists, and conservationists. In 2005, the city's task force on the hospital lands rejected the idea of further housing on the lands and declared that the lands and buildings should be protected and remain as a mental health facility.
In April 2009, Riverview Hospital was added to the Canadian Register of Historic Places
.
Currently Riverview Hospital's buildings and grounds are patrolled 24 hours a day by Security Officers employed by the Paladin Security Group.
Many Riverview Hospital buildings, especially the Crease Clinic, East Lawn and West Lawn buildings, are used extensively for movie and television production. Not including movie studios, Riverview Hospital's grounds are the most filmed at site in all of Canada. Some of these productions include:
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 Coquitlam, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, operating under the governance of BC Mental Health & Addiction Services. Originally called The Hospital for the Mind, and then Essondale (in honour of provincial cabinet minister Dr. Henry Esson Young
Henry Esson Young
Henry Esson Young was a physician and political figure in British Columbia. Some sources list his birth year as 1867...
), Riverview opened in 1913 and had 4,630 patients at its peak. By January of 2009, only 256 active beds remained.
History
In 1872, Royal Hospital in VictoriaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
was converted to British Columbia's first facility to house mentally ill patients. Due to overcrowding, Royal Hospital was closed and the patients moved to the new Provincial Asylum for the Insane in 1878. Again facing problems of overcrowding at the turn of the century, in 1904 the provincial government purchased 1000 acres (4 km²) in then-rural Coquitlam for the construction of Riverview Hospital and the adjacent Colony Farm lands.
Patients were originally housed in temporary buildings, and in 1913 the building that would eventually be called West Lawn began treating the 300 most seriously ill male patients. By this time, Colony Farm was producing over 700 tons of crops and 20,000 gallons of milk in a year, using mostly patient labour. British Columbia's first Provincial Botanist, John Davidson, established an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
, nursery and a botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
on the hospital lands, often with the assistance of patients as there was a belief in the therapeutic value. The botanical garden was moved to the new University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
in 1916, but the arboretum and nursery remained.
In 1924, the Acute Psychopathic Unit, later called Centre Lawn, opened. Then in 1930, the 675-bed Female Chronic Unit (later called East Lawn) opened. The first phase of what would eventually be called the Crease Clinic, the Veteran's Unit opened in 1934, with the second phase opened in 1949, giving Riverview its most iconic building. Finally in 1955, the Tuberculosis Unit (now called North Lawn) opened, marking the peak of patient residence.
Over the following decades, regional clinics began drawing patients from Riverview, and both advances in treatment and eventual cutbacks in funding resulted in fewer people receiving mental health care province-wide. In 1983, West Lawn closed and farming operations at Colony Farm were discontinued. In 1984, the provincial government sold 57 hectares (141 acre) of Riverview lands to Molnar Developments. Shortly afterward, this land was subdivided and became Riverview Heights, with about 250 single family homes. In 1992 the Crease Clinic closed, in 2005 the East Lawn building closed, and 2007 the North Lawn building was closed.
Other buildings on Riverview Hospital grounds continue as mental health facilities, however their future is uncertain. The remaining 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) of this still-active hospital has been the subject of much controversy between developers, environmentalists, and conservationists. In 2005, the city's task force on the hospital lands rejected the idea of further housing on the lands and declared that the lands and buildings should be protected and remain as a mental health facility.
In April 2009, Riverview Hospital was added to the Canadian Register of Historic Places
Canadian Register of Historic Places
The Canadian Register of Historic Places is an online, searchable database that includes listings of historic places important to communities, cities, provinces, territories, and the nation...
.
Currently Riverview Hospital's buildings and grounds are patrolled 24 hours a day by Security Officers employed by the Paladin Security Group.
Movies and Television
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- Facing Kate (2010)
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- Dibbuk Box (2011)
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