Grave Concerns Group Receives $9,000 Donation From OptumHealth to Support Cemetery Restoration

The announced Tuesday it received a $9,000 donation from OptumHealth to identify an estimated 100 people who were buried in unmarked graves at the historic Western State Hospital, according to a press release.

The donation by OptumHealth, Pierce County’s mental health services provider, will also support the creation of cemetery restoration projects at Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake and the former Northern State Hospital in Sedro Wooley.

Thousands of patients in Washington with mental illness were buried in hospital cemeteries in anonymous graves identified only by a number. The cemetery in Lakewood served as the final resting place for patients who died at from 1876 to 1953.

The patients were buried with only a simple number on their headstones under the idea that having a name to the grave would stigmatize their surviving relatives. An effort started a decade ago led to the passage of a state law in 2004 that would allow a group of volunteers under the name Grave Concerns Association to give names to the numbers.

Grave Concerns’ goal is to restore the identity and dignity of these deceased patients by replacing each unidentified marker with a granite headstone that includes their full name, year of birth (when known) and death, and original grave-marker number. 

“We are excited to receive this additional support from OptumHealth that enables us to expand the reach of our organization,” said Laurel Lemke, volunteer chair of Grave Concerns and an employee at Western State Hospital. “There were forgotten souls buried anonymously in state hospital cemeteries across the country. With this donation we can provide tangible assistance to promote similar restoration projects in the cemeteries in Washington State.”

OptumHealth’s contribution will pay for an estimated 100 additional grave markers as well as some administrative expenses at Grave Concerns. The donation will also fund consultation and technical support to build online databases to gather information needed to begin restoration of the cemeteries at Eastern and Northern State Hospitals.

The donation is the second contribution from OptumHealth for the Western State Hospital Grave Concerns projects and the first time funds have been directed to projects at the Eastern and former Northern State Hospital cemeteries. OptumHealth manages mental health services for Pierce County.

“Providing people who had a mental illness with an appropriate burial marker helps restore their honor and dignity,” said Cheri Dolezal, executive director for OptumHealth Pierce Regional Support Network. “The Grave Concerns’ project raises awareness about the availability of treatment to help people with mental health challenges live healthy and productive lives.”

Up until 2003, Washington State law prohibited the public release of the names of individuals buried in State Hospital cemeteries, reflecting a prevailing stigma against people with mental health challenges. The law was amended in 2004 following a campaign by the Grave Concerns Association.

So far, Grave Concerns volunteers have replaced more than 500 out of approximately 2,800 individual markers at Western State Hospital. In 2006, the organization also coordinated the installation by Premier Memorial of three large slabs to mark the site of 512 cremated remains. Grave Concerns’ goal is to replace the remaining unnamed markers with new gravestones by 2020. 

Volunteers are needed to install headstones and help with general cleaning and maintenance at the Western State Hospital cemetery. People of all abilities are welcome. Grave Concerns is also currently seeking volunteers with experience as website contributors, archivists, grant writing, photographers and video editors to help with other projects. 

About Grave Concerns Association
The Grave Concerns Association is a nonprofit volunteer organization that is dedicated to restoring and enhancing the patient cemetery at Western State Hospital Cemetery located on the grounds of Fort Steilacoom Park. The organization grew from the desire to rededicate the prairie cemetery where over 3,000 former patients were buried, but few markers were visible in 2000.