The many people who enter Centura Health hospitals each day come from every walk of life and bring with them a host of emotions and concerns – from frightened trauma patients and grieving families to elated new parents and everything in between. And the one person who is trained to care for them all is the hospital chaplain.
Every Centura Health hospital has a chaplain available around the clock to provide emotional and spiritual support. But who are chaplains and how can they help?
Care without judgement
Chaplains help people cope with hospitalization or other personal or spiritual struggles. They might pray with someone before surgery, listen to the concerns of worried family member, hold the hand of a lonely patient or lift up an overburdened health care associate.
Although hospital chaplains are pastors, they don’t serve people of a specific faith. They support those of all faiths and backgrounds – from Buddhists and Christians, those of Jewish faith, Islamists and more. In fact, chaplains often care for those without any belief system.
Compassionate connection
Because hospital physicians’ first priority is to tend to the physical needs of patients, chaplains work alongside them to provide compassion and information to patients and their families. For example, chaplains are called to any emergency situation in the hospital and act as a liaison between health care associates and the family.
Anyone can connect with a chaplain by dialing “0” within a Centura Health hospital. Patients can also ask their bedside nurse to contact the chaplain.
