Governor Tomblin Issues Statement on Passing of Dr. Mildred Mitchell-Bateman 

1/27/2012 

Mental health pioneer passes away at age 89

CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin issued the following statement today after learning mental health pioneer Dr. Mildred Mitchell-Bateman passed away on Wed. Jan. 25, 2012 at the age of 89.
 
“West Virginia mourns the loss of Dr. Mildred Mitchell-Bateman,” said Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. “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. 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.”
 
Dr. Mitchell-Bateman attended Barber-Scotia College in Concord, N.C. and graduated from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. in 1941. She later attended Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, receiving her M.D in 1946. Dr. Mitchell-Bateman worked in a variety of capacities during her career, also heading the Department of Psychiatry at Marshall University’s School of Medicine, Director of the state Department of Mental Health and serving as the Superintendent of Lakin State Hospital. The state’s mental hospital in Huntington bears her name.
 
Services are planned for 2 p.m. Feb. 4 at Bream Memorial Presbyterian Church in Charleston, W.Va.

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Jacqueline Proctor