In 1915 California Governor H. W. Johnson (1866-1945) signed legislation opening Norwalk State Hospital. About $400,000.00 was allocated for the purchase of the land on which to build a state hospital designed to provide care and treatment to California's increasing population of persons with mental health challenges. The city of Norwalk was the eventual location chosen for the hospital over Beverly Hills and Signal Hill due to convenient road and railroad access. In those days, the hospital was self sufficient with its own farm, dairy and farm animals. The facility is known today as Metropolitan State Hospital (MSH). The current size of the facility, 162 acres, has numerous buildings which continue to display the rich heritage of days gone by. There are also buildings exhibiting modern architectural applications including the current construction of a new state of the art kitchen which will utilize the “cook chill” process of food preparation in place of the current “cook serve” method of dining for our Individuals. This new process will offer more diverse food choices to our Individuals and better provide for their dietary needs. It will also provide for improved nutrient retention during food preparation.

Utilizing the Psychosocial Rehabilitation/Recovery Model of mental health treatment, MSH offers its’ services to residents throughout California. The hospital is easily accessible from the 605, 5, 105, 60 and 91 freeways. This provides easy access to families and friends of Individuals treated within the facility. The number of Individuals receiving treatment at MSH averages around 670. The 1500 administrative, clinical and ancillary staff of MSH provides a variety of individualized modes of treatment designed to promote maximum recovery from psychiatric illness.

Welfare and Institutions Code (W&I) Sections treated at MSH

Penal Code (PC) Sections treated at MSH

MSH does not admit Individuals with a charge or conviction of a sex crime. The facility also does not admit Individuals with a conviction of murder, or a history of escape from a locked detention facility.

MSH is a major teaching resource in Southern California. In addition to continuing educational programs for its staff, MSH holds numerous college and university affiliations. Included among these are rotations of psychiatric residents and medical students from the School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. The hospital offers a pre- and post-doctoral internship program for psychologist and a fully approved internship program for music therapists. Affiliations with Chapman, Cypress, Golden West, Long Beach City, Mount San Antonio, Rio Hondo Community and California State University, Los Angeles provide training for nurses and psychiatric technicians who receive psychiatric inpatient experience at the hospital.