Lake Alice Hospital

Infobox Hospital
Name = Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital
Org/Group =

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Caption = Aerial view of the hospital estate.

Location = Lake Alice, Rangitikei
Region =
State =
Country = New Zealand
HealthCare = Public
Type = Psychiatric
Speciality =
Emergency = No
Affiliation=
Beds = 960
Founded = August 1950
Closed = 1999

Lake Alice Hospital was a rural psychiatric facility near Bulls in Rangitikei, New Zealand. It was opened in August 1950, and has a Maximum Security unit.

Like many New Zealand psychiatric hospitals, Lake Alice was self-sufficient, with its own farm, workshop, bakery, laundry, and fire station. It also had swimming pools as well as glasshouses and vegetable gardens.

The facility slowly shut down during the mid 90's, it finally shut its doors in October 1999. The buildings and 56-hectare grounds were purchased in July, 2006 by an undisclosed buyer. [ cite news | last = Miller | first = Grant | title = Buyer and Price of Lake Alice a Mystery | work = Manawatu Standard | date = July 27, 2006 | url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-126805526.html | accessdate = 2007-04-01 ]

Plans to develop the former psychiatric hospital are currently on hold. It was confirmed in the Manawatu Standard on 22 May 2008 that the property is to be developed and subdivided. [http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatustandard/4556712a6502.html]

Former patients of the hospital's child and adolescent unit have made allegations of abuse there during the 1970s, including the use of electroconvulsive therapy and paraldehyde injections as punishment. cite news | last = Murphy| first = Padraic | coauthors = | title = Probe on Shock Doctor Claims | work = The Age | pages = | date = July 11, 2003 | url = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/10/1057783283675.html | accessdate = 2007-04-01 ] The New Zealand government issued a written apology in 2001, and has paid out a total of NZ$10.7 million in compensation to 183 former patients. cite news | last = Johnson | first = Martin | title = Psychiatrist Must Pay $55,000 After Sex Abuse Case | work = The New Zealand Herald | pages = | date = August 29, 2006 | url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10398473 | accessdate = 2007-04-01 ] cite news | last = Johnson | first = Martin | title = Lake Alice Doctor Pre-empts Tribunal | work = The New Zealand Herald | pages = | date = July 21, 2006 | url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10392285 | accessdate = 2007-04-01 ] The former head of the unit gave up the practice of medicine in order to forestall a disciplinary hearing by the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria.

References

External links

* [http://www.lakealicehospital.com/index.html Lake Alice Hospital Website: critical website, with photos of buildings]