Roundtable, tour examines Norristown State Hospital
Forensic psychiatric hospital moves toward more recovery-oriented design
Rep. Mike Schlossberg September 17, 2025 | 6:35 PM
NORRISTOWN, Sept. 17 – State lawmakers today participated in a roundtable and toured portions of the campus of Norristown State Hospital, including walking through patient areas to see the state of the facilities first-hand.
“The staff at Norristown State Hospital is continuing the challenging work of helping patients receive the treatment they need,” said state Rep. Greg Scott, who represents portions of Montgomery County and hosted the event. “The tour helped lawmakers understand the progress we still need to make in behavioral health.”
The House Majority Policy Committee and Mental Health Caucus held the joint roundtable and tour on the sprawling 255-acre campus at Norristown State Hospital, an institution that opened in 1880.
“This was a fascinating tour. The staff at Norristown clearly are doing an excellent job of taking care of people who need it the most,” said Rep. Mike Schlossberg, who represents portions of Lehigh County and co-chairs the House Mental Health Caucus. “That being said, today’s tour highlighted the need for additional investments in mental health.”
Some of the 30 buildings on the campus are in the process of being replaced with more modern facilities. The hospital expects to break ground in 2026 on what it envisions as a 100-year building. Built with taxpayer dollars, officials hope it will be a modest facility that stands the test of time. It will replace two buildings currently in use on the campus that were built in 1947 and 1965, which together have 255 beds for patients in the Regional Forensic Psychiatric Center. The current living quarters include rooms housing one, two, or three patients, while the new facility will feature only single-patient rooms.
Norristown is one of only two forensic psychiatric hospitals in the state. The staff at Norristown provide mental health services to people in need who are also involved in the criminal justice system.
Information about this roundtable and the House Majority Policy Committee hearings can be found at pahouse.com/policy. Photos to be used for publication can be found at Facebook/PADemPolicy.