Georgia Mental Health Institute

The Georgia Mental Health Institute (GMHI) was a psychiatric hospital which operated from 1965–1997 near Emory University in Druid Hills near Atlanta Georgia. It was located on the grounds of the Briarcliff Estate, the former residence of Asa G. Candler, Jr., the son of the founder of Coca-Cola.

Georgia Mental Health Institute
GMHI in 2018
Geography
Location	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Coordinates	33°47′18.8″N 84°20′32.6″W
Organization
Funding	Government, Non-profit
Type	Specialist, Teaching
Affiliated university	Emory University
Services
Helipad	No
History
Opened	1965
Closed	1997
Links
Lists	Hospitals in Georgia

Emory and the state of Georgia jointly developed the GMHI.[1] Emory doctors provided some of the mental health services at GMHI, and some residents and fellows received part of their training in psychiatry there. Emory also had its own pediatric psychiatric outpatient programs based at the facility. The university also had 10 faculty scientists conducting 18 research studies at GMHI, focused on mental health, brain and central nervous system diseases. At its closing it had 141 beds and a $24.5 million budget. Due to rising costs, the Georgia Department of Human Resources proposed that the hospital close. They decided that they could send GMHI patients to other hospitals nearby and use the $24.5 million budget in other community mental health services.[2]

After the institute closed, the 42 acre campus was purchased by Emory University from the state of Georgia for US $2.9 million.[3] The university planned to turn the property into a biotechnology research and business development centre.[3] Unofficially the campus was referred to as "Emory West", and the university considered either renovating the existing 17 buildings or constructing new ones.[1] Plans for the second campus were scaled back after faculty expressed a desire to remain at the main campus, but the university still planned to build the EmTech Bio Sciences Center as of 2000.[4] In 2011, three of the old GMHI buildings, at the rear of the property, were demolished.

Some of the scenes for the Netflix series Stranger Things were filmed here (as the fictional Hawkins National Laboratory site).[5] The former psychiatric hospital was also used for an episode of the tv series Star. Due to one of the woman of the singing trio being detained for a psychiatric evaluation after a drug overdose their manager organized a clandestine recording session in the psych wing of the hospital. The group was pressed for time having gotten a last hour invite to enter a song in a major musical contest.

References

1. Marcus, Morton J.; Rogers, Carol O. (July 1998). "Indiana Business Review update". Indiana Business Review. 73 (7): 1.
2. Wrobel, Sylvia (November 10, 1997). "Emory considering possibilities if state closes mental health institute". Emory Report. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
3. Barry, Tom (1 November 1998). "Johns ahead of schedule in realizing promise to 'transform Emory'". Georgia Trend. p. 28.
4. Gleason, Jan. "Timetable modified for Emory West campus". Emory Report. Emory University.
5. "Georgia Locations for Netflix's 'Stranger Things'". Deep South Magazine. Deep South Media. July 28, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2017. Georgia’s small towns outside of Atlanta, including Douglasville, Conyers, Jackson, Winston and Fayetteville, easily pass for the Midwest, and Jackson’s intact downtown isn’t a far stretch from 1983 Hawkins on film.

External links

• Ben Miller, "Faded Treatment: The Georgia Mental Health Institute 10 Years After Closing", Reading On, Emory University
• "Emory considering possibilities if state closes mental health institute", Emory Report, Emory University, November 10, 1997
• "Neighborhood character: Becoming Briarcliff Campus", Emory Magazine, Emory University, Autumn 2011
• Photoset of tunnels