A BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS
In its 39 years
of providing pastoral care, education, and research in the most
culturally and religiously diverse community in the world, HealthCare Chaplaincy has built many bridges.
Through the work of our chaplains, partner institutions, staff,
students, and trustees, more than thirty faith traditions are
represented and served.
Pastoral Care
Through almost 300,000 pastoral care visits in more than 30
clinical sites, our chaplains and student chaplains build a
bridge that connects the body to the mind and soul, nurturing
the spirit that guides patients and their families as they cross
from uncertainty to understanding, from illness to recovery,
from life to a dignified death. They provide support and encouragement
for healthcare workers as they strive to meet the needs of patients
and families in an ever-changing healthcare delivery system.
Reaching across faith traditions, our chaplains bridge cultural
and religious differences, fostering an institution-wide respect
for each patient’s spiritual beliefs.
Pastoral Education and Community Outreach
HealthCare Chaplaincy is the largest non-denominational
center for clinical pastoral education (CPE) in the world. A
program of experience-based learning, CPE teaches clergy, seminarians,
and qualified laypersons the unique skills and art of pastoral
caregiving, while encouraging reflection about life and healthcare
ministry. Our chaplains are committed to sharing their knowledge
and experience through innovative community outreach and education
programs.
Pastoral Research
The bridges we build need support to remain standing in an increasingly
complex and competitive healthcare environment. With findings
of numerous studies, the pastoral research department strengthens
the foundation of the Chaplaincy's ’s work by documenting
the positive relationship that exists between healing and spiritual
care. In the pages of this annual report, we invite you to journey
with us across a bridge that connects HealthCare Chaplaincy’s
mission to the communities we serve.
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| The
Rev. Jon Overvold offers words of comfort and encouragement
to a resident of Florence Nightingale Health Center
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In the pages of this annual report, we invite you to journey
with us across a bridge that connects HealthCare Chaplaincy’s
mission to the communities we serve.
A BRIDGE
OF REFLECTION
Throughout the rooms where residents gather at Florence
Nightingale Health Center, a collection of watercolors
painted by a former resident adorns the walls with images
of recreation, hope, and reflection. An exhibition of
these watercolors was displayed at the Chaplaincy's ’s
center on East 60th Street in May. “This painter’s
story symbolizes the multidimensional relationships that
result when care is truly holistic,” wrote the Rev.
Jon Overvold, director of pastoral care at Florence Nightingale.
“Care is grounded in our common humanity when we
see ourselves in someone else’s picture, literally
or figuratively, and recognize our own life—bathing,
eating, talking, praying.” All those who looked upon
these paintings—staff and residents of Florence Nightingale,
the chaplains, administrative staff, and visitors of HealthCare Chaplaincy—were connected through the
bridge of the human condition that joins us one to another.
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