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Riverview Hospital (Coquitlam)
Riverview Hospital was a Canadian mental health facility located in Coquitlam, British Columbia. It operated under the governance of BC Mental Health & Addiction Services until it closed, in July 2012. In December 2015, the provincial government announced plans to replace the obsolete buildings with new mental health facilities, scheduled to open in about 2019. On October 12, 2021, the new Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health and Addiction opened on the site.
At one time, Riverview Hospital was known as Essondale Hospital, for Henry Esson Young (1862–1939), who played an important role in establishing the facility. The neighbourhood where the hospital is located also became known as the Essondale neighbourhood.
In 1876, Royal Hospital in Victoria was converted to British Columbia's first facility to house mentally ill patients. Due to crowding, 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 1,000 acres (400 ha) in then-rural Coquitlam for the construction of Riverview Hospital and the adjacent Colony Farm lands. Construction of a temporary "Hospital for the Mind" began at the Riverview property in 1909.[citation needed]
In 1911, British Columbia's first Provincial Botanist, John Davidson, established an arboretum, a nursery, and a botanical garden on the hospital lands, often with the assistance of patients, as there existed a belief in the therapeutic value of this kind of work. The botanical garden was moved to the new University of British Columbia in 1916, but the arboretum and nursery remained.
In 1913, a permanent provincial mental hospital, administered by Henry Esson Young, was opened, treating about 300 seriously mentally ill male patients. The building was originally constructed to hold 480 patients, but by the end of the year, it housed 919. 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. In 1950, the Male Chronic building was renamed West Lawn, the Female Chronic building East Lawn, and the Acute Psychopathic Unit became Centre Lawn. The hospital itself was then called the Provincial Mental Hospital, Essondale. In 1983, the West Lawn building was closed. In 1984, 141 acres of Riverview's upper hillside were sold, subdivided, and developed as the Riverview Heights subdivision, with 250 single-family homes, and the remaining Riverview forest was acquired by the city of Coquitlam.[citation needed]
In 1924, the Acute Psychopathic Unit, later called Centre Lawn, opened. Several hospital staff lived at the remote site, and by 1927, this had grown into a small community called Essondale, which included shops, a school, and a fire hall.[citation needed]
In 1930, the 675-bed Female Chronic Unit (later called East Lawn) opened due to overcrowding. The first phase of what would eventually be called the Crease Clinic, the Veteran's Unit, opened in 1934, with the second phase opening in 1949, giving Riverview its most iconic building. Finally in 1955, the Tuberculosis Unit (later called North Lawn) opened, marking the peak of patient residence.
By 1956, the hospital had reached 4,306 patients. In 1959, the charge of mental health services was transferred from the provincial secretary to the newly formed Department of Health Services. The transfer was followed by a transition from custodial care to the more active psychiatric care of patients. In 1967, Davidson resigned as deputy minister and was replaced by F.G. Tucker, a resident physician of Essondale (Riverview) from 1953 who, in 1959, became the clinical director of the Crease Clinic.
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Riverview Hospital (Coquitlam)
Riverview Hospital was a Canadian mental health facility located in Coquitlam, British Columbia. It operated under the governance of BC Mental Health & Addiction Services until it closed, in July 2012. In December 2015, the provincial government announced plans to replace the obsolete buildings with new mental health facilities, scheduled to open in about 2019. On October 12, 2021, the new Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health and Addiction opened on the site.
At one time, Riverview Hospital was known as Essondale Hospital, for Henry Esson Young (1862–1939), who played an important role in establishing the facility. The neighbourhood where the hospital is located also became known as the Essondale neighbourhood.
In 1876, Royal Hospital in Victoria was converted to British Columbia's first facility to house mentally ill patients. Due to crowding, 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 1,000 acres (400 ha) in then-rural Coquitlam for the construction of Riverview Hospital and the adjacent Colony Farm lands. Construction of a temporary "Hospital for the Mind" began at the Riverview property in 1909.[citation needed]
In 1911, British Columbia's first Provincial Botanist, John Davidson, established an arboretum, a nursery, and a botanical garden on the hospital lands, often with the assistance of patients, as there existed a belief in the therapeutic value of this kind of work. The botanical garden was moved to the new University of British Columbia in 1916, but the arboretum and nursery remained.
In 1913, a permanent provincial mental hospital, administered by Henry Esson Young, was opened, treating about 300 seriously mentally ill male patients. The building was originally constructed to hold 480 patients, but by the end of the year, it housed 919. 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. In 1950, the Male Chronic building was renamed West Lawn, the Female Chronic building East Lawn, and the Acute Psychopathic Unit became Centre Lawn. The hospital itself was then called the Provincial Mental Hospital, Essondale. In 1983, the West Lawn building was closed. In 1984, 141 acres of Riverview's upper hillside were sold, subdivided, and developed as the Riverview Heights subdivision, with 250 single-family homes, and the remaining Riverview forest was acquired by the city of Coquitlam.[citation needed]
In 1924, the Acute Psychopathic Unit, later called Centre Lawn, opened. Several hospital staff lived at the remote site, and by 1927, this had grown into a small community called Essondale, which included shops, a school, and a fire hall.[citation needed]
In 1930, the 675-bed Female Chronic Unit (later called East Lawn) opened due to overcrowding. The first phase of what would eventually be called the Crease Clinic, the Veteran's Unit, opened in 1934, with the second phase opening in 1949, giving Riverview its most iconic building. Finally in 1955, the Tuberculosis Unit (later called North Lawn) opened, marking the peak of patient residence.
By 1956, the hospital had reached 4,306 patients. In 1959, the charge of mental health services was transferred from the provincial secretary to the newly formed Department of Health Services. The transfer was followed by a transition from custodial care to the more active psychiatric care of patients. In 1967, Davidson resigned as deputy minister and was replaced by F.G. Tucker, a resident physician of Essondale (Riverview) from 1953 who, in 1959, became the clinical director of the Crease Clinic.
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