In our adult lives, we spend at least 25 percent of our time at work. Some of us spend more time with our work families than we do with our biological families. Any time a coworker passes away, the sense of loss can be significant. But when you lose four leaders of your team over a short period, the grief can be overwhelming.
This is even more applicable for the staff at Santa Barbara County’s Psychiatric Health Facility, often referred to as “the PHF.” Our dedicated staff members generally work 12-hour shifts inside a secure, 16-bed facility. They provide 24-hour/365-day inpatient care to county residents who require psychiatric hospitalization. It is the only acute psychiatric inpatient hospital that accepts involuntary patients within Santa Barbara County.
Our Behavioral Wellness family suffered profound losses during these past several months. The news of the passing of Mark Lawler from a long-term illness reached us a day before the unexpected death of Teresita “Terri” Bolisay in late August. The loss of Ingrid Cypert followed a week later on September 4, while she was on hospice at her home. And on November 9, we lost Alejandro Romano, known as “Alex” to his PHF colleagues.