Spiritual Services

Chaplains bring the healing presence of Jesus to patients, family and staff by offering love, hope and forgiveness by journeying with them in their hurt, honoring their dignity and promoting respect for their beliefs and values.

WHAT DO CHAPLAINS DO?

• Make visits, respond to referrals, participate in patient care conferences, and chart on critical cases.
• Assess spiritual and emotional needs of patients and families.
• Offer prayer and presence.
• Offer and provide spiritual care and emotional support for patients and families concerning:
  • Surgery and difficult diagnosis
  • Codes
  • Traumas
  • Death (including appropriate rituals)
  • Ethical dilemmas
• Provide guidance on Advance Directive, End-of-Life decisions and Organ Donation.
• Provide for sacramental needs, such as, Baptism (in emergency cases), Communion and Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.
• We facilitate referrals to clerics of all religions (e.g. Jewish, Islam, Christian, etc.).
• Facilitate or assist with various support groups.

WHEN TO CALL A CHAPLAIN:

• Signs/expressions indicating spiritual distress (anger, resentment, despair, fear, hopelessness, worry, anxiety, guilt, shame, alienation).
• Anticipation of surgery or procedures.
• New serious diagnosis.
• Change of condition leading to patient and family anxiety.
• When patient experiences anger at God or asks "why".
• Experiences of loss of a sense of hope or meaning; abandonment and isolation.
• Sacrament and prayer needs.
• Dying/death support for patient and family.
• Help process grief and loss issues.
• Help patient deal with loss of family members or close friends.

WHEN ARE CHAPLAINS AVAILABLE?

• An assigned chaplain is on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

SERVICES:

• Patient and family support
• Sacramental support (e.g. Communion, Anointing of the Sick)
• Staff support
• Chapel services