State Hospital Records Research Request
State Hospital Records Research Request
For this research service, Library Staff will search for one patient in the records of one Minnesota state institution.
State Hospital Records Requests may take 60 business days or more to complete.
Turnaround: Research is usually completed and sent via email within 60 business days.
About this Research Service:
Index Search:
We will send the best possible copy, but some items may be illegible due to writing or condition. Some information in indexes was recorded using institutional codes and/or abbreviations.
- Full Name
- Admission Date
- Discharge Date
- Patient Number
- County of admission
- Health (vaccines, diagnosis, etc.)
- Death (if the patient died while at the institution)
- Parole or escape
- Payment or finances
- Family contacts
- Other hospital admissions or transfers
Extended search:
- Statistical Records (short version of case record)
- Admission/Discharge records
- Cemetery/Death records
- Case Books
- Commitment Papers
- Other record types
These records may or may not include a formal diagnosis or doctor’s notes. Modern case files and modern medical records are typically not available.
Cambridge State Hospital records are not available as part of either the Index or Extended Search services. Please contact the library for more information
Restrictions on access: Patient records contain private information and are restricted for 75 years from the date of the last entry in the record or file. Under specific circumstances, information in the files may be subject to longer and more strict restrictions. Please note: Information in files can stretch well beyond the term of hospitalization and privacy rules apply to any 3rd parties as well as the main subject.
Questions? Email: reference@mnhs.org
Mail: MNHS Library, attn: State Hospital Record Request, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102
For More Information:
- Restricted Records FAQ Page
- State Institutions Research Guide: State Hospital and Tuberculosis Hospital pages