A man by the name of Roger Sprague often calls the newspaper, essentially, to vent about his difficult life. He mentioned he once was a patient at the Rochester State Hospital. That led to the idea that perhaps, 30 years later, the newspaper should consider whether closing the facility in the 1980s was a good idea. We sought former residents/patients and staff and interviewed locals with current mental-health expertise. We included Roger Sprague, who triggered the original story idea and continues to struggle; a woman who received treatment, recovered and is happy with her life and historical storytelling about the evolution of the hospital.
