On Monday February 24 we presented the documentary film “The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Stories from MPA” during the first day of class for the undergraduate course Nursing 335 – Professional Nursing Practice in Mental Health.
This documentary is about the early days of the Vancouver Mental Patients’ Association, a group that was formed by former mental patients, activist health-care workers, and allies in 1971. Founded to address voids created by rapid institutional depopulation, the group quickly became an important community service and support hub. Former members of the founding group were instrumental in making the film, reviving our collective memory of the key role of ex-patients in the transformation of Canada’s psychiatric landscape in the second half of the 20th century.
Visiting Associate Professor and executive producer of the documentary, Dr. Megan Davies (Health & Society Program, York University), was joined by founding MPA member Jackie Hooper for questions following the film.
Course professor Marlee Groening and Geertje Boschma, on behalf of the Consortium for Historical Inquiry in Nursing and Healthcare, were pleased to welcome a number of students, faculty, and community members to the event.
Learn more about the documentary – including where to view it – here.
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