The Pastoral Care team consists of board-certified staff chaplains, Clinical
Pastoral Education certified educators and candidate educators, year-long
resident chaplain students, chaplain intern students, and contract chaplains.
Chaplains are more than pastors; they are clinically trained clergy and
lay ministers who provide culturally sensitive care to all persons. This
means that chaplains do not proselytize or evangelize patients, families,
associates, or physicians. In fact, doing so is a violation of the chaplains’
code of ethics.
Mary Washington Healthcare chaplains come from many religious and spiritual
traditions, including African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Assemblies of
God, Baptist, Buddhist, Charismatic, Church of God in Christ, Interfaith,
Disciples of Christ, Episcopal, Humanist, Lutheran, Muslim, Non-Denominational,
Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, United Churches of Christ,
United Methodist, and Unitarian-Universalist.
Podcast: Pastoral Care and Chaplain Residency Program
Chapels
The chapels at Mary Washington and Stafford Hospitals are each located
on the second floor of their respective hospital. They are always open
to the public and are readily accessible.
How to Reach a Chaplain
For emergencies,
540.741.1100 or 0 and request the chaplain on call
Leading guided imagery, breath work, anxiety containment, conflict resolution
Reading scripture
Providing sacred or religious literature
Caring for the bereaved, scared, and hurting
Performing, celebrating, officiating, or facilitating religious rites or
rituals (like baptism, anointing of the sick, Eucharist, etc.)
Facilitating communication and understanding between patients/families
and the medical team
Discussing religious, ethical, and moral dilemmas and decisions
Advocating for patient’s religion-based healthcare decisions
Contacting community religious leaders
Chaplains are Mary Washington Healthcare content experts in:
Religious and spiritual care of patients and families
Religious and existential beliefs and practices
Assessing for spiritual needs and coping effectiveness
Grief care and support, including officiating funerals, when requested
Officiating spiritual services and religious rituals
When and how to contact local religious leaders
Group process and conflict mitigation and resolution
Advocacy for patient rights, including access to spiritual and cultural services.
When to call a chaplain:
When a patient or family requests the chaplain
When a patient or family receives bad news
When a patient’s condition deteriorates unexpectedly
When the patient or family is struggling to cope with a new diagnosis
When there is a conflict in the family
When a patient dies
When associates experience moral distress
When a patient arrests
When patients, families, associates, physicians, or volunteers need someone to listen
When all medical interventions have failed
When a patient wants their religious leader contacted
When a patient has religious practices that inform health care decisions
When a patient requests a religious ritual
When a patient requests a Bible or other religious literature
Chaplains participate with other hospital departments to address cultural
issues, patient satisfaction, patient and family centered care and patient safety.
