The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-02-28
Committee Reports
Findings at Asylum
Following is the report submitted
by the Legislative Committee that
Investigated the Asylum, at this
place.

The same committee that visite
1.-THE Idaho Industrial school at st. Ar
Ithony made an investigation of tn
IDAHO State Insane Asylum at Black
foot, on Thursday, February 6tl
The report shows very bad an
leplOrable condition in the institu
ion, in buildings, upkeep, supple!
general management and equipment
The buildings are all poorly lighte
and very poorly ventilated. The low
er dining room in the main buildin
has a rough concrete floor in tn
trear that is dangerous to the in
mates. At least two deaths have oc
|curred recently because of patient
folling or being thrown upon tn
floor.
The vegetable preparing room il
which many of the female inmate!
spend hours in preparing vegetable!
for the table is nothing more thar
! a shed poorly lighted, with opeI
floors, inadequately heated by I.
small burned-out stove; a very un
healthy place for anyone 10 sit in
especially in cold weather. We be-
lieve it is actually dangerous te
their health.
No chairs of any sort are provided
for the patients in their rooms. This
might be advisable in the mems
wards, but certainly is not neces.
sary in the women's. Here the pa.
tients are compelled to sit on hard
rough outdoor benches, or sit or lie
around on the floor. Very few chairs
are supplied in the woman's assem-
bly, room. Certainly the least we
could do would be to supply suffic-
lent comfortable chairs for their
lounging room.
The beds in general are in good or
der and there appears to be suffic-
lent bedding. Quite a large supply OF
blankets are on hand in the store
Every room except the strong
rooms in both the men and wOmen's
wards had from two to seven beds
in them( even more in some of the
trusty wards. This condition is de-
plorable as there Is no adequate
means of ventilating, the rooms and
the patients near the windows get
too much air while those further
away get no fresh air. The strong
rooms have no ventilation and very
little light. The strong rooms are
solid walled rooms in which unruly
PATIENTS are placed for varied periods
of time, depending upon their condi-
ton. In one of these rooms we OBJ
served very young and attractive
girl, who was unruly and had to be
held in straight jacket. The COM
nittee found in the room with her
)ne of the patients who evidently
had been placed there to help look af-
Ter her. We do NOT blieve this
should be allowed especially when
patient is sufficiently unruly to be
placed in strong room.
Ii anything the wOmen'S wards
we're in worse condition than were
he mems. There appears to be no
adequate fire protection, system of
ire alarms or any fire drill. Might
are on duty but fire might
'asily get quite headway before be-
ng discovered. AT night the pa
tents are locked in their rooms
naf AS the doors are closed, and as |
here is knob only on the outside |
i the door patients are helpless in |
pening them. The doors can be
pened only from the outside of the |
DOM and must be opened individ-
ally. This is o very serious con-
lition and should be remedied i'm
nediately, for very serious conse-
!uencS might come in case of a fire.
he old building standing back from
ne main building has been condemn
d, so the committee was informed. |
'et it is now furnishing living quar-
ers for some seventy-five of the
male patients, thirty-five ~or so of i
whom are confined in their ward |
kept at such time as they are taken |
ut for exercise. If the building |
as been condemned it should be va
ated.
The institution is altogether over
axed with inmates. There are many
eeble-minded men, women and chill
rem, without relatives or friends /
'ho apparently have been commit
I'd simply because of their i'll and |
eeble condition. Many of the in
lates, possibly forty or more are
rom other states. They have been
rought here and left in the various
ounties, later being picked I'D by i
Ulcers and committed to the asy-
I'm. The feeble-minded should be
laced in a separate building under
he same management and superyis- K
m as the insane asylum. The var
us counties should provide homes |;
n their own i'll and feeble and not Il
'mmit them to this institution. Our
WIS should not permit commitment 1
to this institution of inmates of II
her states, unless some provision II
made for their support and treat I
ent. 1
The records of the different in c
ates of the institution have been
'ry poorly kept. They are incom-
etc and very inadequate. New
ID complete records should be in
allied, giving in detail the history
each individual case from the time J
e patient is committed to the insti-
ton until cured and discharged.
all cases record should be kent
the individual treatment the pa :