frightened volunteers away. The staff was limited because they had to live on hospital grounds.
Eventually fences were torn down and the name Athens Mental Health Center was chosen. In the '50's there were 1800 patients who lived in poor conditions with little hope of ever
leaving. The '60's saw the amount of live-in patients drop to 1400 and then less than 600 by 1970. Now there are less than 300 occupants.
Empty living quarters have been converted into a gym, movie house, barbershop, bowling lanes, and recreation rooms. The center's image changed from one of a prison to that of a rehabilitation center.
A great number of university faculty and students provide psychiatric and medical treatment for the patients, but their work can't be successful alone. The patient loses sight of the outside world when he is only in touch with other patients, doctors, and therapists. Doctors can't eliminate the basic feeling of loneliness.
Although a step in the right direction has been made with two volunteer programs, the need for more volunteers can still be seen through the eyes of the middle-aged patient who waits on the center's doorstep for their volunteer long after the buses have emptied.
