Augusta Mental Health Institute (AMHI)

The Augusta Mental Health Institute (AMHI) began in 1840 as the Maine Insane Hospital. Mental health advocate Dorothea Dix was a consultant on the project, believing fresh air and removal from the stresses of society were important for patient care. Tragically, 27 patients died when the hospital caught fire on December 4, 1850. The hospital was later known as the Augusta Insane Asylum. The name changed again in 1913 to the Augusta State Hospital, and in 1973 to the Augusta Mental Health Institute. AMHI closed in 2004, replaced by Riverview Psychiatric Center on the same campus.