Rockland Psychiatric Center

The Rockland Psychiatric Center, originally known as Rockland State Hospital, is a psychiatric facility located in Orangeburg, New York. It is operated by the New York State Office of Mental Health, providing in-patient and transitional treatment for adults, as well as research facilities. The center has 13 outpatient facilities and 11 residential programs in the surrounding counties. It shares space with the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research. The current hospital, which has 410 beds, was built on the same 615-acre site as the older hospital.

History

Rockland State Hospital was established in 1926 by the State of New York. Dr. Russell Blaisdell became the hospital's first superintendent in 1930, and the first patients were admitted in 1931. Blaisdell implemented new methods of patient classification and streamlined admissions. He also focused on children's care, leading to the creation of a Children's Group unit and a separate building in 1936. The hospital began using insulin shock therapy in 1937 and later introduced electroconvulsive therapy.