Research

• Full Finding Aid
• Overview
• Arrangement
• Scope and Contents
• Other Finding Aids
• Access Restrictions
• Access Terms

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Syracuse State School Medical Inspection Reports

Some content may contain outdated and offensive terminology. See: New York State Archives Statement on Language in Descriptive Resources

Overview of the Records

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

Available at Repository

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