Pastoral care

Pastoral care is a ministry through which people give and receive compassion and care. It recognizes the unity of persons as spiritual, emotional, physical, mental and social beings. Pastoral care is an effort, through the offering of a caring relationship, to help another person marshal his or her own spiritual resources to deal with the realities of life. Pastoral care accepts people where they are, respecting them as unique individuals and their particular faith traditions as important to their lives. Providing spiritual care for patients and families of all religious backgrounds is the first priority of the Medcenter One pastoral care department. At the same time, we seek to model a spirit of collegiality, offering pastoral care each to the other and to all Medcenter One associates.

Services provided by Medcenter One chaplains

Spiritual care services for patients, their families, and staff include:

• Crisis and trauma team ministry
  •Chaplains respond to all trauma and code blue calls
  • There is a chaplain on call 24 hours a day
• Sacramental ministry
  • Emergency Baptism
  • Communion when requested
        ο Eucharistic ministers give communion to Roman Catholic patients daily
• Pastoral support as part of the end-of-life care and at time of death
• Patient visits
• Pre–surgery visits when requested
• Scripture and prayer when appropriate
• Care Notes for patients and families
• Grief counseling
• Inspirational Meditations two to three minutes in length are available to patients and Medcenter One associates by dialing 8787 from hospital phones or 323.8787 outside of the hospital. These daily devotions are recorded new each day by chaplains from Medcenter One hospital, St. Vincent's Care Center, Mandan Living Center, Care Center off Collins or Hospice.
• Staff support
• Patient lists by denomination are online for area clergy who have security codes
• Chaplains are available for public speaking engagements on the topic of spiritual care

top

How Chaplains help

Chaplains can assist people with:

• Drawing on their relisious faith to assist in coping with illness or spiritual concerns
• Providing sacraments and religious rites
• support in facing death and dying for patients and families

top

When Chaplains are called

• If a patient or family member requests a chaplain
• If a person exhibits:
  •A religious interest
  • A spiritual need
  • Exaggerated fear
  • Anxiety
  • Guilt
  • Loneliness
  • A desire to die
• If a person:
  • Is severely depressed
  • Has attempted suicide
  • Is uncooperative
  • Is belligerent
  • Does not accept their diagnosis
  • Is spiritually troubled
  • Is emotionally disturbed
  • Has personal/family problems
  • Is terminally ill or facing death
  • Has received distressing news
• If a person is facing:
  • Serious surgery
  • A handicap
  • Critical illness or death
  • Long convalescence
  • Death of an infant
  • Stillbirth
  • Miscarriage
  • Death of a family member

top

Worship services

The Interfaith Chapel located on first floor in the hospital is available 24 hours a day for private meditation or reflection. A book of prayer requests for patients and families is available in the chapel. Worship services are offered Sundays at 11 a.m. in the hospital's Interfaith Chapel for patients, families and hospital staff. Roman Catholic Mass is offered at St. Mary's church, 800 E. Broadway (two blocks east of the hospital): 9 a.m. Mondays: Word and Sacrament 7 p.m. Tuesdays: Mass 9 a.m. Wed.—Friday: Mass 4:30 p.m. Saturdays: Mass 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sundays : Mass

top

Contact information

You can contact a chaplain Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Chaplain Burnie Kunz, pastoral care coordinator, can be reached at 701.323.6086. Rev. Gary Heaton may be reached at 701.323.6255. For the chaplain on call, dial the hospital switchboard at 701.323.6000 and ask for the chaplain on call. One of the chaplains is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Full–time staff chaplains have completed required clinical pastoral education. The chaplain's offices are located on fourth floor as you come off elevator B.

top

Interfaith chapel

The Interfaith Chapel located on the first floor in the hospital is available 24 hours a day for private meditation or reflection. A book for prayer requests for patients and families is available in the Chapel. The Chapel window above the altar is a gift from Chaplain Ralph and Betty Lafontaine and is a memorial to the glory of God and the healing ministry by Medcenter One chaplains. It was designed and executed by R. Toland Wright of Cleveland, Ohio, a renowned stained-glass artist and craftsman, who gave it to Rev. F.R. Webber, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Cleveland, Ohio. When the congregation disbanded in 1972, the window was given to Pastor Lafontaine in gratitude for his years of service to the congregation. The window is an outstanding jewel and an artistic expression of the central truths of the Christian faith. On examination you will

find at the extreme corners, the four writers of the gospels with their symbols. Along the borders are the four major prophets; Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. In the lower center of the window are pictures respresenting the fall of mankind into sin and the hand of God the Father. At the top center is the redemption by Christ's crucifixion and in the center is the means of Grace—the sacrament of Holy Communion visualized by the angels with the cup and the bread. If you look closely, you will see other symbols such as the menorach (candle holder), the Lamb of God (Christ) and the dove of the Holy Spirit. This window is pictured and described in Pastor Webber's writing "Church Symbolism."

We hope you will take the opportunity to visit the Interfaith Chapel on the first floor of Medcenter One and enjoy this stained glass window. May it contribute to your sense of God's presence.

top