Madera Community Hospital forms a new care program

With support from the Madera Ministerial Association and other faith leaders, Madera Community Hospital has formed 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 well-being of both the patient and their family,” said Karen Paolinelli, chief executive officer of Madera Community Hospital. “The Volunteer Chaplaincy program expands our clinical team’s resources and aligns with providing patient centered care.”

Madera Community Hospital has always welcomed religious leaders visiting hospital bound parishioners.

“The Volunteer Chaplaincy Care Program will provide a network of spiritual leaders of all faiths to provide comfort to patients, families and to the physicians and staff during times of crisis,” said Joyce Lane, vice president of Madera Ministerial Association. “We envision the volunteer chaplains becoming reliable members of the hospital’s healthcare team.”

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)

• 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.

Volunteer Chaplaincy Care Training for those whose applications are accepted is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 22.

Successful completion of the training and required hospital clearance are mandatory prior to service. For more information contact, Laura Maciel, volunteer liaison, 675-2881, or email Wecare@MaderaHospital.org.