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(1910- )
Established in 1910 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services is one of the five largest free-standing behavioral health providers in the United States. It was originally formed by a group of pastors and laity who wanted to create an organization that would help serve people’s well-being, spiritually as well as physically, mentally, and emotionally. Pine Rest was organized by members of the Reformed Church and the Christian Reformed Church, however, they provide services to people regardless of their culture or religion.
1908: Vereeniging tot Christelijk Hulp Betoon aan Krankzinnigen
1910: Vereeniging to Christelijke Verzorging van Krankzinnigen en Zenuwlijders
1910: Association for the Christian Care of the Mentally Ill in North America
1911: Christian Psychopathic Hospital
1913: Christian Psychopathic Hospital Association
1940: Pine Rest Sanitarium
1952: Pine Rest Christian Association
1961: Pine Rest Christian Hospital Association
1985: Pine Rest Christian Hospital
1990: Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services
In June of 1909, 70 pastors and laymen of the Reformed denominations met to discuss the establishment of a Christian asylum for the “insane”. Those in attendance felt compelled to start a Christian asylum because they thought the State asylums did not offer the Christian care their patients deserved. The board purchased Cutler Farm, located south of Grand Rapids, in December of 1910. Despite low funds, the hospital admitted its first patient in 1911 and discharged him a year later, fully restored.
By 1912 the hospital was treating both men and women. In 1917, the board tried to move the hospital to the west side of Grand Rapids so that water, electricity and an adequate sewage system would be available. This move was met with protest by the area’s residents which caused the hospital to remain on Cutler farm. The hospital’s growth however necessitated larger facilities which resulted in four buildings being constructed in the years between 1918 and 1927.
The Pine Rest Building was constructed in 1940 and the Christian Psychopathic Hospital Association was renamed as the Pine Rest Sanitarium.
In the decades that followed, Pine Rest continued to grow and expanded the range of services they offered. This included more care and programming for children.
The 1980s has been referred to as Pine Rest’s “Golden Era” due to the development of the outpatient care program and rapid modernization of the campus in this decade. The hospital.
The 1990s was a transitional period for Pine Rest. Pine Rest modified their treatment models to reduce extraneous medical costs. Occupancy in inpatient beds rapidly declined. This resulted in the first layoff of both clinical and support staff in Pine Rest’s history. In 1994, signs of stabilization began to appear. Inpatient admissions increased, and there was an overall increase in patients and clients served.
The hospital continues to grow and services people, regardless of culture or religion, at dozens of locations in West Michigan, Northern Michigan and Iowa.
This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Collection open for research. Materials do not circulate.
[item], folder, box, Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services Collection, Heritage Hall (Hekman Library), Calvin University
Folder level description
The Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services Collection spans the years 1910 – 2005. This collection consists of annual reports, brochures, pamphlets, essays, scrapbook pages, newsletters and periodicals. Much of the collection details the origins and development of Pine Rest, as well as the types of services and programs that have historically been offered by the organization. Pine Rest’s early history is documented by annual reports and a document detailing significant staff and asset changes. The collection also contains press clippings, sermon notes and essays from the mid to late 20
This collection may be of interest to patrons researching psychotherapy and mental health services, particularly faith-based ones. Boxes 1 and 2 provide insight into the founding and development of the organization as well as some materials related to financial campaigns. The latter portion of the collection mainly consists of information related to the services offered by Pine Rest which include adolescent therapy, family therapy and marriage counseling in addition to more general mental health services.
Missing: September 1951, Annual Report, 1956, Number 4, 1958
Missing: Spring and Summer 1996, Spring 1997, 2000
Missing: Winter 1973, Winter 1975, Fall and Spring 1976, Summer, Fall, and Winter, 1977
Missing: December 1980
Missing: Winter 1989, Winter 1991
Missing: Winter 1994, Summer 1995