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Dear {FirstName}:
Welcome to our new monthly e-newsletter HealthCare Chaplaincy Today. In the future, you can expect issues to arrive in your inbox on the Tuesday that’s closest to the 15th of that month. On occasion we’ll send you a news alert when we have breaking news to report. We appreciate your interest and support for our mission.
Please feel free to send any questions or comments to comm@healthcarechaplaincy.org.
The Rev. Dr. Walter J. Smith, S.J.
President & CEO
In this e-newsletter:
# Disaster Chaplaincy: The Crash of Flight 3407
# HealthCare Chaplaincy Joins Historic Summit on National Health Reform
# How Sony High-Definition TV is Like HealthCare Chaplaincy
Disaster Chaplaincy: The Crash of Flight 3407
Rev. Dr. Martin Montonye, BCC,
Director, Clinical Pastoral Education, HealthCare Chaplaincy
On the evening of February 12th, Continental Flight 3407 from Newark to Buffalo crashed 6 miles from the airport, in a winter storm, killing all 49 passengers and crew.
As a member of the Red Cross Spiritual Response Team, I was called to the Family Assistance Center at the crash site to support those affected by this disaster.
The Buffalo Indigo Hotel had been transformed into a small fortress with clusters of grieving family members everywhere…a sea of pain-etched faces. The loss and meaninglessness touched everyone, transforming us all into a community of sorrow and suffering.
A section of the fence that walled off the crash site became a makeshift memorial of flowers, photos, hand scribbled letters and small stuffed animals.
As a chaplain in the health care system, we usually encounter patients and their families one situation at a time. To encounter and offer spiritual help to dozens of families at once, in the midst of so great a tragedy, was overwhelming.
Physicians and nurses were on the scene, but the work of comforting so many deeply distraught people falls on the chaplain. I found myself praying with the victims’ families, providing a sacred space for them and helping them connect to their spiritual resources.
In a community formed out of heartache and sorrow, the compassionate presence of a professional multi-faith chaplain was needed – a reminder that they weren’t alone in their grief. As the bitter tears of deep love flowed, we cried together. As confusion and uncertainty filled the air, we listened. As a search for meaning began, we reflected on life’s experiences.
As Seneca wrote: “Tears are less bitter when mingled with others’ tears.”
HealthCare Chaplaincy Joins Historic Summit
On National Health Reform
“Genetics is not destiny.”
“Evidence-based medicine is the only acceptable standard.”
“Many chronic diseases can be reversed through lifestyle modification.”
These were a few of the concepts articulated at the historic Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public, held in February at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, and co-sponsored by the Institute of Medicine and the Bravewell Collaborative. This gathering was the largest ever at the prestigious IOM, and catapulted integrative health into the national spotlight.
This three-day summit brought together a diverse group of more than 600 participants from across the health care spectrum. Speakers included: Harvey Fineberg, MD, President, Institute of Medicine; Dean Ornish, MD, Preventive Medicine Research Institute; Mehmet C. Oz, MD, New York-Presbyterian Medical Center; William Novelli, AARP; Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA; and Christy Mack, Bravewell President.
HealthCare Chaplaincy attendees were The Rev. Dr. Walter J. Smith, S.J., President and CEO; Jeanne Lee, Executive Vice President and COO; Claire H. Altman, Director, Capital Projects; and Kathleen M. Foley, MD, Trustee.
Integrative health is defined as patient-centered care that focuses on prevention and wellness and attends to the physical, mental and spiritual needs of the person. It presents a true health care system as opposed to our current system which has been characterized as “sick care.”
With the Obama Administration and Congress committed to passing health care reform this year, participants at the Summit felt that integrative health was being validated more and more as an important part of health care. As the country moves towards a more patient-centered system, HealthCare Chaplaincy is working to help gain recognition of the spiritual part of that care.
Senator Harkin urged the country to move to a “pervasive culture of wellness” and away from a system of “patching, fixing and mending.” He offered a new standard for reimbursement: “payment based on quality of outcomes rather than on quantity of services provided.”
Underscoring the fact that an improved health care system is a global issue, The Prince of Wales sent a letter read at the Summit urging both his nation and ours to support “the creation of a health care system that places a greater emphasis on treating humans as whole beings – mind, body and spirit.”
Overall, the Summit affirmed the direction of HealthCare Chaplaincy’s Strategic Plan. The Plan emphasizes creating an evidence-based foundation for the practice of spiritual care within health care and research into the relationship between spiritual well-being and physical and mental health.
How Sony High-Definition TV is
Like HealthCare Chaplaincy
By Susan Jurevics, Vice President of Corporate Marketing for Sony Corporation of America
and HealthCare Chaplaincy Trustee
You know Sony as a well-known brand and a leader in electronics and entertainment.
You know HealthCare Chaplaincy as the non-profit organization that’s leading the national effort to bring effective spiritual care to health care.
It doesn’t seem apparent right away, but what we do at Sony carries over to what we do at HealthCare Chaplaincy.
For instance, if you’ve seen high-definition TV in person you appreciate that the picture is far better than conventional TV.
But if you have not watched high-definition TV, you would not know that.
So at Sony we need to educate millions of people about the benefits of high-definition TV and why we think our products are the best.
Sony also needs to reach many different audiences – retailers who carry our products, consumers who buy them, producers who create TV shows, broadcasters who carry them, and even the government.
HealthCare Chaplaincy is well-known and respected within the community of professional spiritual care practice, education and research. But like Sony we too need to raise awareness among a much wider audience – in this case how we help people in need and how we’re advancing the profession of spiritual and pastoral care.
That’s why we’re reaching out to administrators and staff at health care institutions across the United States, to patients and their families, to potential students for our College of Pastoral Care, for those in the field who will benefit from our Spears Research Institute, to government policy makers and allies in the national health reform movement.
Another parallel is value. In a recession economy, consumers are choosing brands they know and trust. That gives Sony an advantage. That’s also an advantage for HealthCare Chaplaincy because of our leadership in education, research and practice. Our chaplains differ from other hospital chaplains: they serve people of all faiths or no faith, are specially educated and Board Certified, are part of the professional health care team.
Finally, both Sony and HealthCare Chaplaincy share the challenge to stay ahead of the curve in their respective fields. I’m confident they both will and am privileged to help these two leading organizations to do that.
For more information, write to comm@healthcarechaplaincy.org.
The not-for-profit HealthCare Chaplaincy applies the discipline of professional spiritual care to improve outcomes within the science and business of health care. Since its founding in 1961, it has helped more than 4.5 million people. It is the world’s largest multi-faith organization of its kind and leads the profession in research, higher education, clinical practice, and consulting. Its Board Certified Chaplains give personalized spiritual and emotional support to patients, families and health care institution staff of all faiths or no faith; they are trusted advisors as members of the professional health care team.
For more information, please visit www.HealthCareChaplaincy.org
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