Chaplains in the Community: Casting a Wide Net

For many chaplains, “community” reaches beyond the walls of their healthcare institutions to the streets and avenues of the neighborhoods they serve. Whether by leading a support group, being present for emergency personnel, or teaching a class or workshop, chaplains are called to provide spiritual support to all who are facing life’s greatest challenges.

“Chaplains have a responsibility to empower communities on issues of healthcare and spirituality,” said the Rev. Martha Jacobs, associate director of pastoral education and community-based programs at HealthCare Chaplaincy. “By casting our net wide enough, we can bring information and skills to local clergy who in turn can better serve their congregants facing end-of-life issues, caregiving challenges, and grief. And we can offer direct pastoral care and support groups to community members of all faiths.”

The Rev. Jacobs directs a community outreach program at the Chaplaincy's that includes bereavement groups, education for clergy, support for caregivers?both professional and family, and group spiritual direction. She has personally led several workshops on advance directives, such as healthcare proxies and living wills, and on what to say/not to say when someone is sick or grieving. Together with other HCC staff, she is a member of Disaster Spiritual Care Services of New York, which provides spiritual care during crises such as the Staten Island Ferry accident.

“It’s about relationships”
Chaplains enable caregivers and others to meet the challenges they face in their difficult jobs. The Rev. Stephen Harding, staff chaplain at Beth Israel Medical Center, has recently been appointed as the Protestant chaplain for the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), which encompasses Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Like many of our chaplains, Father Harding was at ground zero immediately following the September 11th tragedy. “I noticed that EMS workers, who were seeing just as much horror as the police and fire departments, didn’t have their own chaplain.” Eager to remedy that, Stephen went to the chief. “EMS is the first chain of the healthcare system,” said Chief Joel Friedman, EMS Manhattan division commander. “Our workers see a lot, and they keep a lot in. They can do everything right, and still not always see a positive outcome. That’s rough. So when Chaplain Harding wanted to be our chaplain, I was all for it. I can’t thank him enough.”

“Father [Harding] is great,” said one EMS worker. “He blends in so well here. “Father’ might as well be his first name! We all talk to him about whatever’s on our minds, and know that he doesn’t judge us. He appreciates us.”

“Workers come to me about job-related stress, personal relationships, and feelings about September 11th,” Fr. Harding said. He has performed weddings and funeral services for personnel and their families. “It’s about building relationships,” he said. His work with EMS eventually led to his appointment with FDNY.

A perfect fit
“The same thing that drew me to chaplaincy encouraged me to do community outreach work,” said the Rev. Trudi Hirsch, a Buddhist priest and staff chaplain at Beth Israel Medical Center’s Singer Division. “Buddhism, which focuses heavily on the understanding of suffering, is so perfectly geared towards chaplaincy. I wanted to help others in the community learn the tools I use as a chaplain?to sit in the suffering of others and understand and use their own feelings to help someone else.”

Chaplain Hirsch directs workshops for end-of-life caregivers at the Village Zendo in Manhattan and at HealthCare Chaplaincy. Participants included hospice workers, social workers, nurses and other practitioners, and family members caring for their dying loved ones. She is currently conducting a four-part workshop at both sites entitled “The Art of Listening,” geared specifically toward caregivers.

“I take you with me,” a participant who recently began hospice care nursing said to Chaplain Hirsch. “This workshop inspired me to care for people at the end of life.”

Understanding community needs
The Rev. Carlos Alejandro, director of pastoral care at North General Hospital, directs the Harlem Outreach Program for Emergencies (The HOPE Team). A crisis intervention team made up of local clergy, health workers, mental health professionals and others, The HOPE team responds to spiritual and emotional needs of individuals, families, and community groups during times of crisis and loss.

	Dare to Self Care workshop leader speaks from the heart

“We are offering the community a team of persons they are already in relationship with,” said Chaplain Alejandro. The program trains team members in areas such as critical incident stress management and post-traumatic stress disorder. “The team understands that there is a sense of chronic trauma in Harlem,” he said, “so that when a crisis or incident occurs, it is compounded by the impact of past events.” Members of the team offered help during the summer blackout, and bring their new skills to their individual jobs. They also provide pre-incident education?programs such as “Surviving Trauma”?to senior centers and other organizations in Harlem.

Virtually all of HCC’s chaplains provide spiritual care and support to their communities. Many offer lectures or workshops at their own synagogues, churches, and temples, and at houses of worship near their workplace. Some hold prayer services or memorial services. Whatever the venue, chaplains are in the unique position to use their pastoral skills to tend to the human spirit and bring people together. “There is safety in numbers,” said the Rev. Jacobs. “These community programs offer an opportunity to grow spiritually while learning from others who are doing the same thing.”