Hospital used in Cuckoo's Nest movie passing remains of patients to family members

The mental hospital that "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" was filmed in is trying to place remains of patients who passed away there with the families of the dead. The medical center had a policy of storing cremated remains of patients. A room full of remains was found several years back, prompting OR State Hospital to try and get the remains to family members of the dead. It could take many installment loans for family members to give these people a proper burial. Article resource – Hospital from Cuckoo's Nest film trying to place patient remains by MoneyBlogNewz.

Those who passed away have remains at ‘Cuckoos Nest’

ABC reports that Oregon State Medical center is a Salem, OR, psychiatric hospital that has been trying to figure out what the names are of patients who perished within the medical center with their family members and left remains. The center was being toured by legislators in 2004 when an interesting room was found. There were cremated remains of 3,500 patients who had passed away within the hospital found in the room. An online database of those who perished at the hospital between 1914 and 1970 that has remains there has been made by the hospital recently. There was inspiration from the Oregon center to have a new psychiatric hospital built. Also, by 2012 a memorial for the unclaimed patients will be put together.

Setting for legendary book and movie

The OR State Hospital is where “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” a 1975 film with Jack Nicholson, takes place. While at Stanford, author Ken Kesey worked at a mental health facility which was why he wrote the 1962 book. The largest psychiatric hospital in OR is OR State Medical center. Permission to film the movie there was granted. IMDB reports the character Dr. Spivey is the medical center administrator played by Dr. Dean Brooks. The OR State Hospital had Brooks as the administrator when this occurred as he has an M.D. in psychiatry.

Film had impact on mental health

In order to help public perception of mental illness and psychiatric care change so that those in mental illness hospitals were humanized, the movie was created, reports the Telegraph. There were better standards of treatment and less use of electroconvulsive therapy for mental disorders due to the movie.

Citations

ABC News

abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=12808876&page=1

IMDB

imdb.com/name/nm0111954/bio

The Telegraph

telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8296954/How-One-Flew-Over-the-Cuckoos-Nest-changed-psychiatry.html