IMHM RECEIVES $50,000 GRANT TO EXPAND PATIENT MEMORY ARCHIVE & RESEARCH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Sarah Halter, executive director
shalter@imhm.org, 317-635-7329
IMHM RECEIVES $50,000 GRANT TO EXPAND PATIENT MEMORY ARCHIVE & RESEARCH
Funds Awarded by National Endowment for the Humanities
[Indianapolis, Oct. 4, 2021] – On October 4, 2021, the Indiana Medical History Museum (IMHM) was awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to collect oral histories and conduct scholarly research to consider how the development of psychiatry is reflected in personal accounts, the changing hospital landscape, legal precedence, and the trend of hospital deinstitutionalization.
IMHM is proud to be a recipient of this highly competitive American Rescue Plan: Humanities Organizations grant. One of the largest funders of humanities programs in the U.S., the NEH awards grants to top-rated proposals examined by panels of independent, external reviewers. IMHM is one of just six institutions in Indiana to receive this grant in the current cycle.
"In recent years, we've worked hard to collect and share stories beyond the science and technology of the Old Pathology Building and Central State Hospital and beyond the perspective of the medical field, to focus more attention on the patients and their experiences." said executive director Sarah Halter. "This grant will help us to expand that work and create a fuller picture of the patient experience at Central State Hospital and others like it."
Jordan Ryan, local independent historian & archivist, The History Concierge LLC, who has been contracted by IMHM for the project said, "I am deeply honored to be participating on this project, which will build an understanding of the patient experience through the lens of oral histories and architectural history. We are experiencing a collective mental health crisis exacerbated by the pandemic; now is the time to consider our connections to medical history."
IMHM is also asking people with various connections to the hospital (i.e. former patients, family members, former employees...) who are interested in being interviewed or sharing their stories, memories, photographs, etc. to contact us at voices@imhm.org or 317-635-7329.
About the Indiana Medical History Museum:
The Indiana Medical History Museum is housed in historically intact Old Pathology Building, the late 19th century Pathological Department of Central State Hospital, on Indianapolis' near west side. Visit our website at www.imhm.org or call 317-635-7329 for further information.
Indiana Medical History Museum
3270 Kirkbride Way
Indianapolis, IN 46222
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
