Volunteer Chaplaincy Program

The Mission of the Pastoral Care Department is:

• To provide excellent spiritual and emotional support through pastoral care and counseling
• To enable patients, family members, and staff to use values, beliefs, and faith for health, wholeness, and healing
• To provide pastoral care and counseling resources for area clergy, pastoral persons, and faith groups

The Volunteer Chaplaincy Program plays a vital role in carrying out the Pastoral Care Mission.  Pastoral Care is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to provide spiritual and emotional support.  The Pastoral Care Department is not sectarian but rather Chaplains are equipped to help persons use their faith, beliefs, and values to promote health, wholeness and healing.  Respect for each individual and compassion are at the heart of this ministry.  Pastoral Care includes:

• Listening-First and foremost Chaplains are skilled listeners.  They walk with persons and help them discuss the meaning of their experiences.  Through pastoral ministry persons are helped to use their values, faith, and beliefs for health, wholeness, and healing.  Chaplains help those to whom they minister draw upon their faith traditions.
• Pastoral Visitation –
  1. Emergencies-Emergencies take priority over all other pastoral visits.  On Call Chaplains are to respond to all emergency calls and deaths within 30 minutes of being contacted.  
  2. Referrals-Chaplains are to make contact with all referral notices left in the Pastoral Care office.
  3. New Admissions-Chaplains are asked to make pastoral visits to as many admissions as possible.          
• Support – Contact clergy and/or faith communities on behalf of patient if requested
• Prayer – The Chaplain uses prayer appropriately.  Prayer is a pastoral tool that expresses the sacredness of the human condition.  Though prayer is not always appropriate, prior to offering any prayer the Chaplain should ask those to whom she/he ministers if they would like to pray together.
• Sacred writings and devotional materials – Religious materials are used appropriately. Religious materials are provided upon request and available through the Pastoral Care Department.  This includes The Bible, The Koran, The Book of Mormon, The Torah, and devotional materials
• Religious preference – Chaplains help those to whom they minister draw upon their faith traditions.

Area Clergy and pastoral persons staff the Volunteer Chaplaincy Program.
Coverage by the Pastoral Care Department is divided into three categories:

• On Call:  Chaplain carries a pager/cell phone and covers a 24-hour period of time one day a month.  On Call Chaplains must be able to respond to emergency calls within 30 minutes.
• Shared On Call:  Two Chaplains split the On Call hours.  As above, Chaplains respond to emergency calls within 30 minutes.
• Visitation:  Chaplains commit to coming in one day every week to make patient rounds.

To become a Volunteer Chaplain, the following steps are required:

• An application, along with references, is submitted to the Pastoral Care Department.
• An interview with the Manager of the Pastoral Care Department to review the application and discuss the Volunteer Chaplaincy Program.
• Orientation to the hospital and the Pastoral Care Department, along with a Tuberculosis Test (TB) and a hospital badge.

*Once accepted into the program, Volunteer Chaplains are able to eat free, up to $5.00,  in the hospital cafeteria when making visits during their on call day.

To receive an application, click on the link below or call the Pastoral Care Office at (678) 604-1054.

Volunteer Chaplain Application