Mission & History

Mission

A view of the main Retreat Healthcare building from a surrounding hill

Retreat Healthcare is a not-for-profit health services organization which, above all else, is committed to assisting individuals to improve their health and functioning.

Consistent with our tradition of excellence, we specialize in mental health and substance abuse treatment for all ages.

We commit to active participation in the development and coordination of community-based, integrated health care delivery.

History

Retreat Healthcare, circa 1844. Retreat Healthcare was founded as the Brattleboro Retreat in 1834, by a $10,000 donation by Anna Marsh as attested to in her will. The hospital was the first facility for the mentally ill in Vermont, and one of the first ten psychiatric hospitals in the United States. The new facility was patterned on a Quaker concept called moral treatment, a daring departure in the care for the mentally ill. Patients were treated with dignity and respect in a caring, family-like environment that included meaningful work, cultural pursuits, wholesome nutrition and daily exercise. In support of this philosophy, the Retreat pioneered an impressive list of hospital firsts: the first continuous patient newspaper; the first attendant's training course; the first gymnasium, camping programs, swimming pools and bowling alley, and the first self sufficient dairy farm; all reflecting the emphasis on physical well being.