At the turn of the 20th century, private sanitariums were becoming alternatives to large psychiatric hospitals.
Sanitariums were located in rural areas. It was believed that quiet surroundings, fresh air, farming, crafts and separation from the stresses of everyday life could help people with mental illness (known then as “nervous disease”).
Westport had 2 sanitariums. One was on the Post Road at North Compo Road. The buildings were razed in the 1970s; today we know it as Winslow Park.
The other was on Long Lots Road. Dr. David McFarland opened it in 1898. Four years later, it was named Hall-Brooke.
Dr. McFarland’s sanitarium.
By mid-century, it had transitioned to a psychiatric hospital model. Treatments included electroshock therapy and restraints.
In 1964, Elisabeth Solomon and irving Cooper bought the hospital and 27 acres for $907,000. It became a non-profit. After a rough period in which Solomon lost control of the organization, then fought to regain it, Hall-Brooke expanded into community and outpatient behavioral health services.
Hall-Brooke Hospital
An old building fronting Long Lots was demolished. A new 60,000-square foot facility opened in the rear of the property.
In 2008, St. Vincent’s Medical Center took over. The name was changed to St. Vincent’s Behavioral Health — a mouthful.
St. Vincent’s is now owned by Hartford HealthCare. For a year, their marketing team searched for a name that would reflect its high quality of care.
Which is why Hall-Brooke (as old-timers still call it) and St. Vincent’s Behavioral Health (as no one called it) is now “The Shores Mental Health” — or even more simply, “The Shores.”
The name “conveys healing, stability, and its location near the beach,” says Eleanor Cronley, HHC’s Fairfield region director.
The Shores name covers Hartford HealthCare’s “behavioral footprint” in Fairfield County: the 76-bed campus on Long Lots Road, and outpatient clinics in Norwalk and Bridgeport.
The Shores entrance.
Changes at The Shores go beyond the name. A new Welcome Center — open 6 days a week, including evenings — allows people to talk with clinicians. If admission is appropriate, it happens quickly. If not, they may be referred to one of the outpatient facilities.
“The goal is always to find the least restrictive environment,” Cronley says.
The grounds.
She notes the need for a speedy process. A New Jersey doctor called the Welcome Center, because there were no beds in his patient’s area. Three hours later, the teenager had one here.
That patient was admitted to the 16-bed children’s and adolescent unit. (“Parents like bypassing the emergency department,” Cronley notes.)
Two units — each with 24 beds — are reserved for acute adult cases. The other 12 beds are part of the mood and anxiety program, which the Welcome Center often feeds into.
Dr. Tobias Wasser, chair of psychiatry and behavioral health.
Cronley has lived in Wilton for 18 years. Until a few years ago however, she — like many area residents — did not know St. Vincent’s existed.
“And I work in the behavioral health field!” she says.
The Shores hopes to have more of a presence through its campus, a couple of miles from shore.
A ribbon cutting is set for October 14. “It will be a momentous day for behavioral health in Fairfield County,” Cronley promises.
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Welcoming space, at The Shores.
