image

image

 MEMORIAL NEWS

The Latest

While working on underground construction in London, skeletons were found near the site of what was once St. Bethlehem’s hospital. St. Bethlehem’s was one of the first hospitals that housed patients with mental illnesses. It’s also the origin of the term bedlam, which is a contraction of Bethlehem [hospital] and became known as a place of noisy confusion (see the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Ed., 2000). The discovery of the burial site, which dates back centuries, will be studied by archeologists. Please check back here for updates on this discovery.


A recent article published in the Oregonian tells a now too familiar story of patient remains lost and then all but forgotten at a state hospital. This time, it’s the Oregon State Hospital, and unlike other instances that were marked by the discovery of unmarked graves, in this instance it’s canisters of cremated patient’s remains. Many of the canisters are falling apart and/or inadequately marked. Work has begun to sort out the remains, but poor records and misspelled names are making the task difficult. In many cases, other records, such as death certificates, are needed to corroborate the identity of the remains. For more information, please check out the original article.

In Rochester, NY, a memorial garden, the Remember Garden, has been established. The garden commemorates unmarked graves linked to those who resided at the Monroe County Insane Asylum, Almshouse, and Penitentiary. Community members were responsible for creating the garden, which has become a place of flowers, tranquility, remembrance and hope.

For the past three years, The “Back Door Club,” which was a social club in Cattaraugus County, NY and is currently a Drop In Center called “Friendship Center.” has been involved in “Operation Dignity.” This project centers on the old state psychiatric hospital, located in Collins NY (Gowanda Psychiatric Hospital), and is focused on reviving the cemetery on Wheater Road. There have been several other organizations also involved in this project, including: New Horizons CDT in Allegany County, People Inc. in Erie County, Sienna College in Albany, St. Bonaventure University, peers, professionals, youth, Department of Social Services, local merchants, etc. If you would like to read more about this cemetery restoration project, please see the Mental Health Association in Cattaraugus County website.

A candlelight memorial service was recently held in Haines Cemetery in Nebraska. The service commemorated those who were buried there with only numbers marking their graves. During the service, the names of those buried were read aloud. For additional information, please see the December 2010 issue of Connections and go to page 12.

Please check out the summer 2010 issue of Listen, from the Alabama Department of Mental Health. Of particular interest is an article on the recent memorial for those who died at Bryce Hospital and were buried in the cemeteries at the hospital. The cemeteries have been neglected over the years and have fallen into disrepair. The dedication ceremony initiated efforts for the Bryce Hospital Cemetery Memorial Garden, which will include a granite monument designed by a consumer and engraved with an inscription written by two additional consumers. The newsletter also contains a memorial poem, a remembrance of those buried at Bryce Hospital and information on how you can assist with memorial efforts.

Garnering the Attention of National Media and Spokepersons

The National Consumer Memorial continues to capture media attention. Click here to learn more about the Memorial at the recent National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare conference. Highlights included a donation from OptumHealth and a visit from Miss Florida.


Other News Topics

To learn more about the Traveling Exhibit and the National Consumer Memorial movement, see OptumHealth Public Sector’s blog that has a dedicated section on the Memorial and captures comments from readers. An episode of NBC’s Today Show tells the story of the project. To learn more, you can watch the video 'Strong at the Broken Places'.

Another episode of NBC’s Today Show, from June 2009, gives insight into the origin of the National Consumer Memorial project. To learn more, you can watch 'The City of Lost Graves'. In the State of Washington, a family finally receives closure after locating the grave of a family member who was, long ago, buried in an unmarked grave at a state hospital facility. Assisting the family in their search was Laurel Lemke and the Grave Concerns Association.

For news on other cemetery restoration projects, please see below:

  • In Ohio, at the site of Ridges, an old psychiatric hospital, the cemetery is undergoing a restoration project with support from NAMI Athens– click here to learn more.
  • In Nevada, another cemetery restoration project is also ongoing. In this instance over 600 former patients were buried at the former, Old Nevada Insane Asylum, including Veterans and Native Americans.

An article, published in Behavioral Healthcare, supports the need for this project and traces the evolution of the National Memorial movement – To learn more, read the article 'A Plan for a National Consumer Memorial'.

A ten-minute video, Recovered Dignity, features Rosalynn Carter and others, who share the story of cemetery restorations led by consumers. You can view the video here.