State Mental
Health Commissioners Vote to Support State Hospital Cemetery Restoration
In July of
2001 state mental health commissioners from the 50 states and the US territories
met at their biannual meeting. One of the items on their agenda was to
discuss and vote on a position paper related to properly restoring and
memorializing cemeteries at state hospitals. The commissioners voted and
approved the following position paper:
NASMHPD Position
Statement on State Psychiatric
Hospital Patient Cemeteries
The members of
the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD)
believe that it is fundamentally important to treat all human beings with
dignity and respect. States should be responsible for appropriately
maintaining patient cemeteries that were created on the grounds of state
psychiatric hospitals. However, some of these cemeteries have become neglected
and not maintained in a manner that conveys respect and dignity. In some
situations, it is impossible to locate accurately the grave sites of former
patients.
Forgotten and
neglected graves of person who died in state psychiatric hospitals convey
a message of devaluing the people who struggled with mental illness, contribute
to the burden of stigma that people still face today and perpetuate a
negative image of the state hospital. Restoration and acceptable maintenance
of the patient cemetery are important to the consumers and their families
as a symbol of hope and recovery and it is important to the hospital and
the mental health system as a symbol of conveying dignity for consumers.
The process of restoring and maintaining the cemetery can promote healing
and recovery.
Recommended
Actions by States:
State mental health
authorities should investigate the history and determine the condition
of patient cemeteries on the grounds of state psychiatric hospitals and
consider the following:
- Encourage, support and
partner with consumer organizations and other stakeholders to establish
cemetery restoration projects
- Consult the CMHS
technical assistance manual
that was developed by the Georgia Consumer Council and the National
Empowerment Center
- Identify potential strategies
to
- Locate grave sites
and make location available to families and consumers
- Restore cemeteries
- Provide perpetual
care
- Construct a memorial
if all grave sites cannot be located
Approved by the NASMHPD Membership on July 31, 2001
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