Clarks Summit State Hospital
Clarks Summit State Hospital is a 203-bed adult inpatient psychiatric hospital located in suburban Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, approximately eight miles north of Scranton Pennsylvania, and certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Admission to Clarks Summit State Hospital is through referral from one of the county mental health/behavioral agencies for the 11 counties served: Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, and Wyoming.
The goal of Clarks Summit State Hospital's treatment is to facilitate each patient's return to the community. To support this goal, each patient at Clarks Summit State Hospital receives individualized treatment led by his or her treatment team – of which the patient is a member. Departments providing services to patients include:
- Dentistry
- Podiatry
- Dietary
- Psychiatry
- Medicine
- Psychology
- Nursing
- Social Services
- Occupational Therapy
- Spiritual Services
- Pharmacy
- Therapeutic Recreation
- Physical Therapy
- Vocational Adjustment Services
History of Clarks Summit State Hospital
Clarks Summit State Hospital began as a farm for impoverished individuals developed by Providence Township in 1862. Responsibility for operating the farm transferred to the city of Scranton, then the borough of Dunmore, then Lackawanna County. Over time, individuals with serious mental illnesses began to receive care at the farm and, by the early 1940's, Hillside Home and Hospital was operational.
On October 1, 1943, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began to operate state mental hospitals and annexed Hillside Home and Hospital, changing the name to Clarks Summit State Hospital.
By the mid 1950's, the hospital was serving approximately 1,450 patients. As newer interventions were found effective in allowing patients to return to the community sooner, the hospital's patient population began to decrease and the hospital began serving patients from a broader geographical area.