| A.
G. Holley State Hospital (AGH) was opened in 1950 as the Southeast Tuberculosis
Hospital. It was originally built to serve 500 patients, with living
accommodations for the physicians, nurses and administrative staff.
It was the second of four state tuberculosis hospitals built in Florida
between 1938 and 1952. The other hospitals have since closed. A. G.
Holley is the last of the original American sanatoriums that
continues to be dedicated to tuberculosis.
With the discovery of drugs
to treat tuberculosis patients outside of the hospital setting, the daily
census at the hospital by 1971 dropped to less than half of the original
500. By 1976 the beds and staff at A.G. Holley were reduced to serve
a maximum of 150 patients. As space became available, other agencies
were invited to move onto the complex to utilize the unique environment.
As the incidence of TB declined, so did the number of beds. Although
the hospital is currently licensed for 100 beds, it is only funded for 50.
As the rate of tuberculosis continued to decline, the hospital was faced with
closure.
Tuberculosis in the United States and especially
in Florida began to increase in the mid '80s. This was due to the
emergence of HIV, an increase in homelessness, drug addiction, immigration
from areas of high tuberculosis, the spread in
institutional settings, and the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
|
