Searching for family who were patients in New York psychiatric hospitals

1. Start with the basics:

1. Family Search – https://www.familysearch.org
2. Ancestry (Fee) – https://www.ancestry.com
3. Find a Grave – http://www.findagrave.com/
4. NYS Historic Newspapers – https://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org/
5. Newspaper.com (Fee) – https://www.newspapers.com/
6. Fold3 (Fee) – https://www.fold3.com/

Genealogy websites will help you find birth, death, marriage, and census records. Newspaper archives may have information on your relative. Fold3 will help find a person’s military record. Try to determine their religion since many hospital cemeteries are divided by religion. Many libraries provide access to fee paid services at no cost.

2. Once you have the correct spelling of the name (spelling may change over the years), you can check:

1. Reclaim The Records NYS Death Index Search – https://www.newyorkdeathindex.com/search
2. The Town Clerk’s office of the town where the person died for a Death Certificate.
3. NYS Department of Health – https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/death.htm

A Death Certificate from the town where the person died may have specific information on their burial location. Often this is handwritten and may be on the back of the certificate. Ask for copies of both sides of the Death Certificate.

3. NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) – OMH is very restrictive on releasing information about a former patient. Even a burial location is treated as Protected Health Information.

1. Memorial inscription – Mental Hygiene Law Section 7.09 (k) allows, on request by a representative of a cemetery organization or funeral establishment, the release of the name, date of birth, or date of death of a person who was a patient at the facility when the person died. They may use a name or date released under this subdivision only for the purpose of inscribing the name or date on a grave marker. Presumedly, they would have to tell you the location of the grave in order to place the marker. https://newyork.public.law/laws/n.y._mental_hygiene_law_section_7.09 Contact the Office of Mental Health here: https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/contact/
2. Medical Records – https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/consumer_affairs/medicalrecords/

The records request website requires:

1. You have proof of the patient’s permission to release records prior to his/her death.
2. It is relevant to your own health, and is requested by your physician.
3. You are the executor of the estate and have included a copy of court papers.
4. Have written consent from the executor.

Mental Hygiene Law Section 33.16 (A) 6 only allows release of information to: the patient, the patient’s legally appointed guardian, or a parent, spouse, adult child, or adult sibling of an adult patient.

Some direct descendants of a patient who need information for their own medical treatment have been able to have their doctor request a former patient’s medical records.

You first need to find what name the person was admitted under. It is not uncommon to find different spellings or the use of a maiden name. With that you can request Death Certificates and patient information keeping in mind the restrictions on who can receive the information. Every scrap of information can help find more. Yes, it’s like pulling teeth trying to get information. We are working with a group that is trying to change New York laws so families can learn about their loved ones and locate their graves to memorialize them and restore dignity