The East Mississippi State Hospital (EMSH) is a mental health facility of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health located in Meridian, Mississippi."Contact Us ." East Mississippi State Hospital. Retrieved on October 31, 2010. "4555 Highland Park Drive Meridian, MS 39307.""Driving Directions ." (Direct image link ) East Mississippi State Hospital. Retrieved on October 31, 2010."Large Map ." (Direct image link ) East Mississippi State Hospital. Retrieved on October 31, 2010. The facility is the third-largest employer in the Meridian area."About Us ." East Mississippi State Hospital. Retrieved on October 31, 2010.

A regional center, EMSH serves 31 counties, including Alcorn, Covington, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Forrest, George, Greene, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lauderdale County, Leake, Lowndes, Marion, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Perry, Prentiss, Scott, Smith, Tippah, Tishomingo, Wayne, Webster, and Winston."image1178.jpg ." East Mississippi State Hospital. Retrieved on November 1, 2010.

History Due to advocacy from Dorothea Dix, on March 8, 1882, the Mississippi State Legislature passed legislation establishing the East Mississippi State Insane Asylum."History of EMSH." East Mississippi State Hospital. Page 1 . Retrieved on October 31, 2010. The hospital opened in a location west of Meridian in 1885.Chisholm, Hugh. The Encyclopædia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information. University Press, 1911. Volume 18. 602. Retrieved from Google Books on October 31, 2010. In 1898 the facility's name was changed to the East Mississippi Insane Hospital. In the 1930s the facility received its current name. In 1984 the MDMH Board of Mental Health established a catchment area to EMSH so that admissions to EMSH and the Mississippi State Hospital would be balanced. As of 2010 the 31 county catchment area for EMSH has a population of about 900,000 people."History of EMSH." East Mississippi State Hospital. Page 2 . Retrieved on November 1, 2010.

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