What Comes To Mind When You Think Of Pastoral/Spiritual Care In The Hospital Setting?

Some think we proselytize and impose our own religious beliefs. Those are things that we don’t do. Chaplains are available to be with patients, families and staff in supportive ways. We meet people “where they are.” We take our cues from them, not the other way around.

How Do I Get In Touch With A Chaplain?

Chaplains assess the needs of those we encounter, through admission referrals, spiritual care consults, being paged, and from rounding on units and being asked to see folks by various members of the interdisciplinary team. If you would like a chaplain to visit with you while in the hospital, please let your nurse or a staff member know.

Our Goal

When invited to do so, we listen, and try to help you process your emotions and distress. Being listened to attentively is a gift that often increases peacefulness and hopefulness.

Our Services To Those In Need

We do many things, including praying, being present with families when they hear “bad news” from their physician, being with families and patients when there is a terminal diagnosis, a move to comfort care, and when someone needs spiritual care while in anxiety/distress. We offer times for debriefing and assist in religious and non-religious rituals. We provide blessings, non-immersion baptisms, wedding ceremonies and communion. We come alongside those who are grieving, whether that is the death of a loved one, their own approaching death, or the loss of function, including the ability to walk and to care for one’s own daily needs; we come alongside family members whose loved one has lost cognitive function through traumatic brain injury. We often are part of end-of-life conversations and assist in ethical decision-making.

For the Staff and Patients

For staff we offer the Blessing of Hands in May for Nurses’ Week, or upon request, and the Touch Stone service of affirmation in October for Pastoral Care Week, or upon request. We have special services in our chapel including Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as well as a weekly Wednesday prayer service at noon and a 10 a.m. Sunday morning interdenominational service.

We keep a community clergy list. Upon request, we can call for a Catholic priest, a rabbi, an inman and other clergy.