Pennsylvania Hospital

In 1751, Benjamin Franklin led the legislature to pass an act "to encourage the establishment of a hospital for the insane." As a result, the Pennsylvania Hospital was constructed and, in the following year, opened its doors to provide care for a variety of patients, including the mentally ill in the community. Pennsylvania Hospital became the first hospital to treat people with mental illness in the colonies and was an important step in recognizing and offering care for mentally disabled persons as a distinct patient population.