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State Officials Remember Bateman

West Virginia officials on Jan. 27 remembered Mildred Mitchell-Bateman, a trailblazer in the treatment of mental illness.

Bateman died Jan. 25 at the age of 89 in Charleston following an illness. According to the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Bateman became the first African American woman to be named to a high-ranking state office in 1962, when she was appointed director of the Department of Mental Health. The state mental hospital in Huntington was named in her honor.

Speaking on the West Virginia House of Delegates floor Jan. 27, Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne and chairman of the House Health and Human Resources Committee, said Bateman overcame many obstacles in her advocacy for the mentally ill.

"Se's the reason behavioral health in West Virginia has advanced as far as it has, although I would suggest she would tell you if she were here today it has a long way to go," he said.

Bateman took a different approach to caring for the mentally ill. At a time when many mentally ill patients were denied their rights, Bateman advocated placing such patients at facilities closer to home and developing community health centers. Her program Breaking the Disability Cycle gave new hope to mentally ill patients who were once denied treatment.

Sen. Ron Stollings, D-Boone and chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said Bateman taught him that everyone, even the mentally ill, deserves respect.

"You treat everyone with respect," he said, "and that just because you have a mental illness doesn't mean that you have to be locked away the rest of your life."

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said the state mourns the loss of Bateman.

"As a woman of influence and a leader in the treatment of mental illness, Dr. Mitchell-Bateman was truly a pioneer and the first African-American woman to lead a West Virginia state agency," he said in a statement. "Her commitment to helping others inspired a career that spanned six decades. Today, we remember a woman who approached life with open arms and pursued her dreams with passion. Joanne and I extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and all who knew her."

Bateman is survived by seven children and 10 grandchildren. Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. February 4 at Bream Memorial Church in Charleston.