Hospital Based Volunteer Chaplaincy Program
September 5, 2018, Madera California: With support and leadership from
the Madera Ministerial Association and community faith leaders, Madera
Community Hospital announces the formation of a Volunteer Chaplaincy Care
Program. Once implemented, hospitalized patients and their families will
have access to 24-hour, on-call spiritual support.
“Effective spiritual care is a standard of practice contributing
to the wellbeing of both the patient and their family,” said Karen
Paolinelli, Chief Executive Officer, Madera Community Hospital. “The
Volunteer Chaplaincy program expands our clinical team’s resources
and aligns with providing patient centered care,” Paolinelli added.
Madera Community Hospital has always welcomed religious leaders visiting
hospital bound parishioners. “The Volunteer Chaplaincy Care Program
will provide a network of spiritual leaders, from all faiths, to provide
comfort to patients, families and to the physicians and staff during times
of crisis,” said Joyce Lane, Vice President, Madera Ministerial
Association. “We envision the volunteer chaplains becoming reliable
members of the hospital’s healthcare team,” added Lane.
Volunteer chaplains practice four main areas of service to patients, family,
staff and medical providers:
- Sustain - Providing support, comfort, and understanding for an individual
or group going through a time of crisis;
- Guide: Helping another person (s), either by direction, clarification or
confrontation, to find solutions to problems or life’s questions;
- Heal: Aiding individuals in finding wellness or wholeness from injury or
disease (in a spiritual and emotional sense); and
- Reconcile: Helping a person to restore a relation that has been broken
with a person, a group, the Divine (However that person chooses to describe
the Holy), and /or their sense of what brings them meaning and purpose in life.
Credentialed spiritual leaders, interested in volunteering, can obtain
the application for service at
www.MaderaHospital.org/Volunteer. Applications will be reviewed and determined eligible to attend the Volunteer
Chaplaincy Care Training scheduled for Saturday, September 22, 2018. Successful
completion of the training and required hospital clearance are mandatory
prior to service. For more information contact, Laura Maciel, Volunteer
Liaison, 559-675-2881 or email Wecare@MaderaHospital.org.