Collections

The Western State Hospital collection contains a wide variety of bound volumes and paper records spanning more than 170 years (1825-1998). Included are administrative records such as annual reports, correspondence, office and subject files, meeting minutes, newsletters, photographs, and reports, as well as a specific departmental and program records relating to the Community Hospital Industrial Rehabilitation Program (CHIRP), the DeJarnette State Sanatorium, and the Shenandoah Geriatric Treatment Center (SGTC). Also included are financial records such as auditor's books, budget files, farm production records, and supply inventories. The patient-related records include admission registers, commitment papers, medical records, and several types of patient lists. Also included in this collection are a variety of report books created and maintained by staff members regarding patient admissions, attendants' rounds, ward activities, and many other duties performed at the hospital. The records of the Western State Hospital document many facets of the institution's operational history, patient life and medical treatment, as well as the evolution of mental health treatment in the Commonwealth of Virginia.