I checked out that Ghosthunters thing. Now, I am not a big believer in ghosts, what I did like about the show was the history they talked of that happened there. In Ghosthunters, the new owners were interviewed and they spoke of the paying people to put their children there. Here is how it worked, and I don't know exact amounts of money, but here we go.
They said, the trans allegheny lunatic asylum started out being a "good thing". Basically, back than, when the place was started, people who had mental problems were put in prisons and things of that nature. So a woman who wanted to see a change in the way people were treated started up the asylum. She wanted a safe haven for the people, and it started out like that. Than the owners became greedy.
The hospital was meant to hold a total of 250 mentally ill patients. The state payed the institution to have the people there. Per person. So let's say back in 1945 the hospital was payed $100 per patient per month. I don't if that's the right amount but let's say that's what it was. And patients who needed more care and had more problems had more money coming to the institution so let's say a really bad off patient was sent $150 a month by the state.
So they began to spend almost no money on the patients, and they began to completely fill the hospital well beyond it's capacity. The money wasn't really being spent on the patients at that point. A facility meant to hold 250 people was suddenly swamped with over 1500 people by 1945. Why? Simple. The facility grew it's own food, encouraged patients not to even wear clothing, patients were not allowed in or out of the building and were never taken to town. People got murdered because there were not enough nurse's or doctors to care for them, basically the staff was meant to keep 250 people and had over 1500 people in it. One nurse was even murdered and was not found for weeks due to the largeness of the facility and her being killed on a stairway that was not used often.
So why would they fill this place to capacity? Money is the answer. If you were willing to put your child in this place, and claimed you had a farm and needed to hire someone now to do the work your child was doing, the place would pay you. Every week. So let's say you put your child there. The state was told a new patient had come in and the doctors could say yes this child needs help and the state would believe it. So, they begin paying you $100 a month. You send the parents $10 a week. Which comes out to $40 a month. You just made $60 every month on this patient. Because, really you aren't spending anything on the patient. They aren't wearing clothing, you grow your own veggies, fruits and meats. The place is kept fairly cold, the staff is overworked and underpaid. So even with everything, you just made $60 a month, PER Patient, every month. They even had their own cemetary and buried people who died of illness or old age or who were killed by more violent people or died due to a medical procedure. I would bet my bottom dollar that they neglected to tell the government about a lot if not all, of those deaths.
Meanwhile, the staff of the hospital is too scared to help the patients because several who tried to help were fired. They need the jobs. Several nurses on this show were interviewed and said this very thing. They needed their jobs, and could not lose them. So instead of helping, they let it go. Tried to see the patients as nothing more than a job. Very sad. Also, the doctors encouraged no outside contact, meaning if you went there, you could not get a visitor. Really they were keeping people out because of the terrible living conditions, for fear someone would stop the money from coming in.
So there you go. I like the idea of calling the current owners and seeing if they can help us.
