Pastoral care's role in a reformed system. Pastoral care professionals need to promote the spiritual dimension of healing throughout the continuum of care.
The emerging structure of healthcare delivery is challenging many elements of traditional pastoral care. With these changes, how can pastoral care professionals be on the cutting edge of tomorrow's pastoral care ministry? Pastoral care givers must understand that the individual with holistic needs will be at the center of the reformed healthcare system. All providers will share the responsibility and financial risk of providing high-quality care to each client. Pastoral care departments will need to develop systems to objectively measure the quality of their spiritual and religious care services, as well as patient or client satisfaction. Pastoral care professionals must take the lead in developing a vision of spiritual care that reflects the new paradigm of integrated delivery. They must also share the vision of integrated spiritual care with opinion leaders who can be advocates for an expanded vision of pastoral and spiritual care within the network. Ideally, faith communities should be centers for care, healing, and wellness, with hospitals as extensions of those communities. Within such a network, pastoral care givers can organize programs, workshops, and retreats around spirituality and wellness as part of the faith community's mission. In addition, pastoral care professionals can help clients learn about themselves and their life-styles and make healthier choices. Pastoral care givers need to recognize that within brokenness there is also wholeness, wisdom, and new opportunities. When we are free of our own agenda, we can empower others. Together, with God's grace, pastoral care givers can shape a new future and make it happen.
St. Mary-Corwin Regional Medical Center, Pueblo, CO.
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D002604:Chaplaincy Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D010327:Pastoral Care / Q000639:trends*; D014481:United States