Facility from Cuckoo's Nest film supplying remains of patients to families

The mental hospital that "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" was filmed in is intending to place remains of patients who passed on there with the families of the deceased. Several years back, a room was discovered at Oregon State Hospital, full of cremated remains of patients from years back, which prompted the medical center to try and get the remains to the families of those patients. It could take many installment loans for family members to give these people a proper burial.

Remains at ‘Cuckoos Nest’ hospital

Oregon State Medical center, a psychiatric hospital in Salem, Ore., has been trying to place remains of patients who perished while within the hospital’s care with their families, according to ABC. 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 perished in the hospital found in the room. Just recently, the hospital put an online database together. This can be a list of all those who perished between 1914 and 1970 within the medical center and have remains there. The dilapidated center inspired the state of OR to build a new psychiatric hospital, and a memorial for the unclaimed patients will be built in 2012.

Setting for legendary novel and film

The OR State Medical center is where “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” a 1975 film with Jack Nicholson, takes place. Author Ken Kesey was inspired to write the 1962 book that the film is situated on while working at a mental health facility while attending Stanford. While looking for an appropriate location to movie the film, permission was granted to movie at Oregon State Medical center, the largest psychiatric hospital in Oregon. The character in the book and the film of Dr. Spivey, the hospital’s administrator, was played in the movie by Dr. Dean Brooks, according to IMDB. An M.D. in psychiatry is the degree Brooks has. At the time of the filming, he was the administrator at the Oregon State Hospital.

Change film caused with mental health

The movie was credited for altering public perception about the nature of mental illness and psychiatric care, in accordance with The Telegraph, by humanizing people who lived at mental health facilities. There were better standards of treatment and less use of electroconvulsive therapy for mental disorders as a result of film.

Information from

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