Each year, UPMC Northwest’s Department of Mental Health hosts an art exhibit and sale in May for Mental Health Month, showcasing artwork created by patients. This year, the day before the exhibit, the department was rocked by the tragic loss of its beloved colleague, Candace Kent.
“Candy Kent was a great physician, colleague and friend,” said Trisha Rimpa, MA, Division Chief of Mental Health. “Losing her suddenly was tragic for the patients she cared for compassionately and for the staff who witnessed her dedication to psychiatric nursing.”
Kent was on the mental health unit for eight years and helped make the unit what it is today as she was one of the first nurses on the unit to receive residency training as a psychiatric nurse. “Candy’s memory lives on in the hearts of everyone who knew her and learned from her,” Rimpa said. She led learning sessions and encouraged other staff who wanted to pursue residency training.
The team postponed the exhibit to mourn her loss, but found two touching ways to honor her legacy in UPMC Northwest’s Mental Health Department: They created a beautiful mural in the department to commemorate her legacy and renamed the art exhibit the “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 with the goal of making the environment more inviting for patients.
In her day-to-day work, Burchfield conducts group and individual sessions with patients that range from psychoeducational recreational activities to therapeutic conversations. “My goal is to get to know them as people, not based on their diagnosis,” Burchfield said.
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 passed away, it was a great honor for me to paint the mural.” Burchfield wanted to show what Kent meant to the unit while also making the environment more welcoming.
Burchfield worked on the mural for two months, often finding time between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. while patients were sleeping. Burchfield enjoyed working during the quiet hours of the night. “I loved that I could make the process fun for patients and staff,” said Burchfield, who loved seeing patients’ reactions when they woke up to see 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. “As I was working on the mural, I often felt that she was there.” Burchfield added the butterfly as a finishing touch to symbolize Kent looking over 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. Recently, the event ran smoothly, building on the success of the past four annual art shows. Patients on the Extended Acute Care (EAC) unit typically support the exhibit by helping with setup and labor during the exhibit.
“They really love it,” Rimpa said. Christina Greggs, senior behavioral health consultant, runs the entire event. She 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,” she said. “I never realized the impact I could have until I started working in the unit two years ago.”
“Every day is a memory,” Burchfield said. “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 has become very passionate. This month, she left UPMC to begin a Master of Science in clinical counseling psychology in Arizona.
“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 each other through loss, the mental health team at UPMC Northwest continues to work to show the community that patients with mental health diagnoses are people like everyone else.
