Syracuse State School Medical Inspection Reports
Statement on Language
Some content in this finding aid may contain offensive terminology. For more information on why this language is occasionally retained, see: New York State Archives Statement on Harmful Language in Descriptive Resources.
Overview of the Records
Repository
- New York State Archives
222 Madison Avenue
Albany, NY 12230
Summary
- This series consists of reports, checklists, and notes of visits to the Syracuse State School and its colony facilities, by Department of Mental Hygiene medical inspectors. Earliest reports show Inspector's arrival and departure dates and times; patient census; new admissions; accidents; educational work and building inspection results. Also included are department transmittal letters, and report receipts. Reports for 1949-1955 are missing. Records are partially restricted.
Title
- Syracuse State School medical inspection reports
Quantity
- 0.5 cubic feet
Inclusive Dates
Bulk Dates
Series Number
- B1644
Creator
Arrangement
Chronological by inspection date.
Scope and Content Note
These are reports, checklists, and notes of visits to the Syracuse State School and its various colony facilities by medical inspectors from the Department of Mental Hygiene. Reports are printed forms in typescript. Reports for 1949-1955 are missing.
Earliest reports show date and time of arrival of the inspector; a census of patients, employees, new admissions, and accidents (with details) and educational work; results of a general (building) inspection; and the time the inspector departed. Also included are transmittal letters from the Department of Mental Hygiene to the school, and return acknowledgment of receipt of the report for the institution's "binder" file of inspections. Such letters are frequent throughout the series, but not present for all reports.
General inspection of the facility resulted in notes about maintenance activities (painting, pipe leaks); safety considerations (proper storage of medicine, foodstuffs, and other goods); and staffing (position vacancies, quality of patient care). In later years a medical inspection check list recorded numbers of physical and psychiatric examinations and injuries; number of patients in therapies and restraint; the physical condition of buildings; fire safety measures; and evaluation of patient care. Other information included numbers of patients, new admissions, discharges, deaths, accidents (with a precis of each investigation), escapes (also with precis, and follow-up on cases reported previously), and employees (medical staff, education staff, and number of pupils).
Other Finding Aids
Folder list is available at the repository.
Access Restrictions
Restricted in accordance with Mental Hygiene Law, Section 33.13, relating to confidentiality of clinical records. Access is permitted under certain conditions upon approval by the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.
Access Terms
Corporate Name(s)
- New York (State). Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
- Syracuse Developmental Center
- New York (State). Department of Mental Hygiene
Geographic Name(s)
Subject(s)
- Building inspection
- Medical care--Evaluation
- Children with mental disabilities--New York (State)
- Intellectual disability facilities patients
- People with mental disabilities--Institutional care--New York (State)