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Caring for Your Spiritual Self
Monday, September 30, 2019
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Bayhealth’s Pastoral Care department provides interfaith-based spiritual care to staff, patients, their loved ones, and the community. It offers sacraments and religious rites, prayers and spiritual reflection, faith-based literature and other materials, and more. The Pastoral Care team recognizes people come from all kinds of faith journeys, which is why it tailors services and care to meet individual preferences and needs.
Chaplains dedicated to specific areas such as Emergency & Trauma Services and Oncology are also available. Senior Chaplain Carol E. Harris (pictured below) primarily serves the Kent Campus and supports Bayhealth’s Palliative Care team. Dr. Paul Isaacs is staff chaplain for Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus and works closely with the critical care units there.
The chaplains are supported by more than 20 on-call clergy and lay pastoral volunteers and are available 24/7. “We’re always looking for more volunteers, and we recently held a very successful recruitment event,” said Chaplain Harris.
Pastoral Care also provides services outside the inpatient setting. “The relationship with Pastoral Care doesn’t end in the hospital; we continue to offer support after discharge, and it’s not uncommon for a patient’s family to reach out to us after they return home,” explained Chaplain Isaacs. “We have officiated many funerals, and even weddings.”
The chaplains have close relationships with Dover Behavioral Health and the VA Hospital, and they provide spiritual care at Bayhealth’s Outpatient facilities. Chaplains Harris and Isaacs expect the team’s role in outpatient care, as well as their relationship with Hospice and Palliative Care, to grow. They say this will align with an emerging nationwide trend focused on holistic care outside the inpatient setting.
To learn more, visit Bayhealth's Pastoral Care page. If you are interested in becoming a lay pastoral volunteer, call Chaplain Harris at 302-744-6147 or Chaplain Isaacs at 302-430-5118.
Chaplains dedicated to specific areas such as Emergency & Trauma Services and Oncology are also available. Senior Chaplain Carol E. Harris (pictured below) primarily serves the Kent Campus and supports Bayhealth’s Palliative Care team. Dr. Paul Isaacs is staff chaplain for Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus and works closely with the critical care units there.
The chaplains are supported by more than 20 on-call clergy and lay pastoral volunteers and are available 24/7. “We’re always looking for more volunteers, and we recently held a very successful recruitment event,” said Chaplain Harris.
Pastoral Care also provides services outside the inpatient setting. “The relationship with Pastoral Care doesn’t end in the hospital; we continue to offer support after discharge, and it’s not uncommon for a patient’s family to reach out to us after they return home,” explained Chaplain Isaacs. “We have officiated many funerals, and even weddings.”
The chaplains have close relationships with Dover Behavioral Health and the VA Hospital, and they provide spiritual care at Bayhealth’s Outpatient facilities. Chaplains Harris and Isaacs expect the team’s role in outpatient care, as well as their relationship with Hospice and Palliative Care, to grow. They say this will align with an emerging nationwide trend focused on holistic care outside the inpatient setting.
To learn more, visit Bayhealth's Pastoral Care page. If you are interested in becoming a lay pastoral volunteer, call Chaplain Harris at 302-744-6147 or Chaplain Isaacs at 302-430-5118.