Students Restore Psychiatric Hospital Gravesites

Dedicated Siena College students traveled to Western New York in early October to take part in “Operation Dignity,” which is a national movement to restore old and abandoned psychiatric hospital cemeteries.

 

Social Work Professors Diana Strock-Lynskey, M.S.W and Donna McIntosh, M.S.W and the Siena students joined their counterparts from St. Bonaventure University at the site of the former Gowanda Psychiatric Center Cemetery where they spent several hours digging up and cleaning gravestones.

 

“I’m glad I was part of the experience. We showed that there are people who care,” said senior Social Work Major Juile Kallenburg.

 

The cemetery holds the remains of approximately 1,000 patients of the now-closed psychiatric center. It is one of 17 sites like this in New York State.

 

The students also saw firsthand that when the mental health patients died, they were often buried by number or in graves marked only with a wreath or a Star of David.

 

“It was eye opening. I didn’t know this type of stuff was going on,” said senior Social Work major, Tania Miolan.

 

“I was angry. I just couldn’t believe people would bury them with just a number,” said Kallenburg.

 

To help restore dignity to the deceased patients and their families, the students decided it was important to join “Friendship Club” volunteers, including people with long term mental health conditions, in restoring dignity to the deceased patients.

 

“They were caught up in the job that needed to be done. I’m really proud of the caliber of students we have,” said Strock-Lynskey. “They became an inspiration to keep going for the people out there,” she said.

 

Other students participating in the Gravesite Restoration project are junior Social Work majors, Brittany Clarke, Natalee Gumbs, Mercy Kyeremeh and Karen Martinez and senior Political Science major, Kim Vassilatos.