SENECA, Pennsylvania. — One day before UPMC Northwest’s Department of Mental Health’s May 2019 Mental Health Month art show and sale, the department was rocked by the tragic loss of beloved colleague Candace Kent. The event was postponed so patients and staff could mourn her passing.
“Candy Kent was a great physician, colleague and friend,” said Trisha Rimpa, MA, division chief of behavioral health.
“Losing her suddenly was tragic for the patients she cared for so compassionately and for the staff who witnessed her dedication to psychiatric nursing.”
Kent worked on the mental health unit for eight years and was one of the first nurses to gain specialist training as a psychiatric nurse, helping to make the unit what it is today.
“Candy’s memory lives on in the hearts of all who knew her and learned from her,” Rimpa added.
She led study sessions and encouraged other employees seeking certification.
The team postponed the show to mourn her loss and found two touching ways to honor her legacy at UPMC Northwest’s Mental Health Department:
- the creation of a beautiful mural in the unit to immortalize her legacy in the unit; and
- Renaming of the art exhibition to “Candy Kent Memorial Art Show and Sale”.
Loss brings art to life
Lindsey Burchfield, Milieu Therapist I, led the design of the mural on the front wall near the entrance. She designed a piece that features Kent’s favorite flowers and colors to make the environment more inviting for patients.
Every day, Burchfield conducts group and individual sessions with patients, ranging from psychoeducational recreational activities to therapeutic discussions.
“My goal is to get to know them as people, not by their diagnosis,” Burchfield explained.
Outside of work, Burchfield always had an artistic background and worked on craft projects in her free time.
“It was my little hidden talent, but after Candy’s death, it was a great honor for me to paint the mural,” she added.
Burchfield wanted to show what Kent meant to the unit while making the environment more inviting.
Burchfield worked on the mural for two months, often finding time between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. while the patients were sleeping.
Burchfield liked to work in the quiet hours of the night.
“I liked that I could make the process fun for patients and staff,” said Burchfield, who enjoyed seeing patients’ reactions when they woke up and saw their progress, or the faces of her colleagues when they passed by.
On a quieter day on the ward, Burchfield showed a talented patient in the EAC how to paint a leaf on the right side of the mural. This gave the patient a chance to give something back to Kent, who had helped with his care.
“Candy was a huge advocate for patients with mental illness, which is why the creation of the mural meant so much to me,” Burchfield said. “I often felt her there while I was working on the mural.”
As a finishing touch, Burchfield added the butterfly to symbolize how Kent views the rest of the mural, the ward, the staff and the patients.
A new namesake
In addition to the mural, the annual Behavioral Health Stamp Out Stigma Art Show and Sale was renamed the Candy Kent Memorial Art Show and Sale.
The recent event, which showcased artwork created by patients, ran smoothly and built on the success of the last four annual art exhibitions.
Patients on the Extended Acute Care (EAC) unit typically support the show by helping with set-up and work during the show.
“They really love it,” Rimpa said.
Christina Greggs, senior behavioral health consultant, leads the entire event and also organizes raffles.
Last year’s raffle was a quilt made from old UPMC Northwest t-shirts. The team also makes patient-designed t-shirts for staff to purchase.
In addition to art, the team began selling plants. Patients grow flowers and vegetables in the hallway outside the mental health unit, which becomes a “greenhouse.”
Proceeds from the show will now benefit the Candy Kent Memorial Scholarship for Student Nurses, a scholarship open to current nursing students planning a career in psychiatric nursing.
Eradicating the stigma
Burchfield grew up in the communities surrounding UPMC Northwest and noticed a lack of mental health resources in the small area.
“I see how mental health impacts everyone in our community, whether you see them on the street or at a gas station. I never realized the impact I could have until I started working in the unit two years ago,” Burchfield explained.
“Every day is a memory. Patients have given me drawings and handwritten letters, thanking me in a way that helps me get through the day.”
Burchfield’s goal of breaking the stigma of mental illness is close to his heart, and he left UPMC to begin a Master of Science in clinical counseling psychology program in Arizona this month.
“Because our department is behind closed doors, we are often ‘in our own world,'” Rimpa said. “We are constantly striving to break down the stigma behind the mental health department.”
Whether through art, gardening, or supporting one another through coping with loss, the behavioral health team at UPMC Northwest continues to work to show the community that patients with mental health diagnoses are people like everyone else.
