Former lead psychiatrist at Western State Hospital dies after battle with cancer
Dr. Bruce Gage, who for many years served as the lead psychiatrist for forensic services at Western State Hospital, recently passed away.
On June 5, 2020, the Center for Forensic Services at Western State Hospital was officially renamed the Dr. Bruce Gage Center for Forensic Excellence. Dr. Gage had been ill and his former colleagues at Western wanted to do something to honor his legacy. They thought that the best way to do that was to have the building where he formerly worked be officially named after him.
In a letter to Dr. Gage, DSHS Secretary, Cheryl Strange said, “Your colleagues have made very clear that you are valued as an ‘incredible supervisor’, a ‘fantastic mentor’, and a ‘true leader.’ They have shared stories of your kindness and how you motivated them to higher standards. You have trained and mentored a generation of medical professionals who deeply appreciate your inclusiveness and collegiality. As one doctor mentioned, he did not work ‘for’ you. He worked ‘with’ you. You model compassionate care and know each patient by heart. There is no better legacy than to leave people better than you found them. This is your legacy.”
In response to Secretary Strange’s letter, Dr. Gage said, “I am deeply honored and touched by this appreciation of my work in the field. It is hard for me not to feel that so many others are more or just as deserving. The CFS was a wonderful place to be for all those years I was there and it really felt like we built something strong and valuable. It was the greatest teamwork experience I have ever had in my career. “
After leaving Western, Dr. Gage became the Chief of Psychiatry at the Department of Corrections in 2008. Prior to his work at Western and DOC, he was the Director of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of Washington.
His colleagues from DOC said, “His care for patients was exemplary but his determination to improve the lives of all, particularly those impacted by mental illness was his passion. He was a provider of many things, sure medications were one of them, but he also provided opportunities for all of us to learn more about our important work as well as how to better know ourselves when we do that work. For the past year he has lived with the knowledge of his illness and that it would end in his death. As always, he put his time to good use.”
The DOC colleagues shared some excerpts of his “Epilogues.” The latter was written within a week of his death.
“I have done all that I am going to do from a worldly perspective. What remains are my relationships with others and with God. In the interpersonal realm, I feel very fortunate to not have any “unfinished business” with others. While I certainly cannot say that all my relationships are unmarred by my iniquities and failings, what I can say is that I have tried to make amends to the best of my ability. Mending the past and paving the way for the future are important aspects of a spiritual life. Though obvious, it should be said that these are not small things.
“More and more, I orient to that inner silence that lies deep within us all. It is not an empty silence, but refulgent and full. Feelings of bliss come to me unbidden. The passage to death is somehow inviting. Though I can see the fear of the unknown, of oblivion, trying to creep into me, it gets no traction, overwhelmed by the fullness and deep invitation of the silence. I rest in the silence, at peace.”
On behalf of Western State Hospital, we share our deepest condolences with Dr. Gage’s family and friends. His legacy will honorably and humbly live on throughout the hospital and particularly at the Dr. Bruce Gage Center for Forensic Excellence.