Willard State Hospital Medical Records

Numerical by case number.

Records in accretion 19069-14 are of patients from the Sampson State School facility, which was located on the former grounds of Sampson Naval Training Station. The training station was later transferred to the U.S. Air Force. In December 1947, the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene took over Sampson Hospital as an annex to Willard State Hospital. However, it was not until June 1955 that the U.S. Air Force Hospital at Sampson was formally decommissioned and turned over to Willard State Hospital to become the Sampson State School. In October 1971, Sampson State School was officially closed.

This series consists of patient medical records. General information for each record includes consecutive number; number for year; name of patient; residence; date of admission; date of discharge; gender; age; civil condition; nativity; occupation; cause and form of insanity; cause of death; previous admissions and discharges; heredity (other mentally ill relations); education; age when discharged or died; location (ward or building); how remains are to be disposed of in case of death; and name and address of next of kin. Photographs of the patients are sometimes present. Also included in the records are dated narrative notes on the patient's condition, activities, and transfers; and autopsy reports.

19069-05: These files were withdrawn from other accessions for documentation in a New York State Museum exhibit entitled "Lost Cases, Recovered Lives: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic" and a subsequent traveling exhibit. They are known informally as the "Willard Suitcase Files."

19069-14: This accretion consists of patient medical records from the Sampson State School facility, which was located on the former grounds of Sampson Naval Training Station. The files include patients who were transferred to that facility from the Newark State School and Letchworth Village.

B1455Series B1455 contains copies of autopsy reports

B1474Series B1474, Clinical Records, contains related records.

Container lists are available at the repository.

19069-14: This accretion includes records from transfer list 750006.

These records were transferred to the State Archives from Willard Psychiatric Center at the time of its closure in April, 1995.

19069-04: This volume was returned to state custody by Douglas Flint in April 2004. It contains contains medical records of patients admitted to Willard State Hospital during the period from April 28, 1893 to March 23, 1894. Case numbers range from 5995 to 6600.

Restricted in accordance with Section 33.13, Mental Hygiene Law, relating to confidentiality of clinical records. Access permitted under certain conditions upon application to and approval by the Office of Mental Health.