Henry Sanatorium
| Firland Sanatorium | |
|---|---|
Firland Tuberculosis Hospital, 1914
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| Geography | |
| Location | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Coordinates | 47°46′10″N 122°21′14″W / 47.7694°N 122.3540°WCoordinates: 47°46′10″N 122°21′14″W / 47.7694°N 122.3540°W |
| Organization | |
| Funding | Public hospital |
| Hospital type | Community |
| Patron | Horace C. Henry |
| Services | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1910 |
| Closed | 1947 (relocated) |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in Washington |
The Firland Sanatorium was Seattle's municipal tuberculosis treatment center. It opened on May 2, 1911, and closed on October 30, 1973.
Firland was established in what is now the city of Shoreline, Washington under the original name of Henry Sanatorium. Horace Henry, a railroad magnate, was one of the leading founders of Firland. He donated 34 acres of land and $25,000 to build the sanatorium. In the spring of 1910, Seattle residents voted in favor of a $10,000 bond to aid in construction. A larger bond supporting the institute passed in 1912.
When Firland opened, patients initially slept in open-air cottages. Three more buildings were added in 1913; the main administration offices operated in the Walter H. Henry Memorial Building, the Detweiler Building housed tubercular patients, and non-tubercular patients with other infectious diseases were housed in Jenner Hall. In 1920, the Koch and Nightingale buildings were erected to treat ambulant patients. In 1925, Josef House was added to treat children with tuberculosis or family members with tuberculosis.
The medical director of Firland was Dr. Robert M. Stith from its inception until his death in 1943. He also directed a free public health clinic in downtown Seattle and was the authority on who was admitted to Firland. Those that could afford it were urged to admit themselves to private sanatoriums, like Laurel Beach or Riverton. To be admitted to Firland, patients had to have lived in Seattle for at least one year, and their chance at recovery needed to be reasonable. These criteria were enforced in order to rule out transients. Women with children were often prioritized over single individuals or those without children. If no one could care for the children at home, they were taken to Josef House for treatment or preventative care. The cost of care was paid for by the State of Washington and the Seattle Department of Health. 80% of Seattle's tuberculosis patients were cared for at home, not in sanatoriums. Nurses from the Health Department made house visits to care for these patients.
Firland was self-sustaining, due to its own well, power plant, orchards and vegetable gardens on campus.
It operated in its Shoreline location from 1911 until 1947, when it was relocated to a decommissioned Naval hospital at 15th Avenue Northeast and 150th Street in Seattle.
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