Chaplains and E-chaplaincy Using Technology for Ministry Rev. Mark Chamberlin, BCC, Chaplain III Julie M. Jones, Executive Director, Mission & Ministry July 13, 2011

Introductions Opening Prayer

Objectives Recognize the emerging changes in health care impacting delivery of pastoral services Share Mercy’s use technology to enhance spiritual care, specifically focusing on e-chaplaincy program

Overview Context What is e-chaplaincy? How and why did we begin e-chaplaincy? How does e-chaplaincy work? What have we learned? Plans for the future Question & Answer

Context – About Mercy 8th largest Catholic healthcare system in the U.S. (based on NPSR) Seven-state area encompassing Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana Health services include hospitals, urgent care clinics, physician practices (over 400), outpatient surgery centers, home services, skilled nursing care and long-term nursing care Electronic medical record and e-ICU

Trends impacting pastoral services Mercy’s strategic plan Electronic medical records/patient access to health information Emergence of medical home model and care management Telemedicine Growing consumer desire for on-line information

Context – Where are patients? In 2010, Mercy’s strategic planning revealed 95% of patients annually do not have an overnight stay in hospital

Context – Mercy’s Pastoral Services Restructured Pastoral Services FY2011 Looking broader than hospital to ministry-wide needs within emerging model of care 76-100 chaplains (including PRN) Primarily organized in departments in 11 hospitals Active pastoral volunteer programs in most Eight local supervisors, managers or directors Three regional directors, one ministry-wide leader Matrix reporting relationships among leaders for both local and ministry-wide accountability

Context – Mercy’s Pastoral Services Decade of quality improvement efforts Mercy’s strategic plan led Pastoral Services to re-imagine how to deliver spiritual care Explore ways to meet needs of patients where they are when they need care Currently piloting approaches to extend spiritual care into physician offices

Context: “New and exciting method for the delivery of spiritual care” This is a complete paradigm shift: from a pastoral visit to an ongoing relationship from pencil/paper to computer/tech from acute care to patient care site/home from “come to us” to “we meet you where you are” from face-to-face encounter to contact from silo to integration - Ken Potzman, Director, Eastern Communities

Context: “New and exciting method for the delivery of spiritual care” Spiritual care in the future will require a multifaceted delivery of care. Spiritual care in the acute care setting complimented by the use of new technology will enable us to reach and impact a much larger population with effective and efficient Pastoral Services. - Ken Potzman, Director, Eastern Communities

What is e-chaplaincy? Using e-mail to provide spiritual care Allows access to a chaplain at times that are convenient Enables Mercy to extend pastoral services beyond acute care center

How e-chaplaincy began 2009 created to enhance communication between the chaplain and parents of NICU and PICU patients. E-mails make contact with parents who are unable to visit during chaplain’s working hours provide a non-intrusive way to communicate with parents at their convenience maintain relationship with babies/children who have been discharged from the hospital provide another means for families to communicate their requests or questions to the chaplain

How did e-chaplaincy evolve? Initial thought of way to extend staff ministry Offer chance for co-workers to connect with chaplain via e-mail Built and expanded Intranet Internet

Clarity about service If you click on contact the e-Chaplain, you get a disclaimer (legal helped with this). You will not get to e-mail screen without clicking to accept this.

First year of experience About 10-12 requests per week: Request for prayer Need information about support group Want general spiritual growth Self disclosed: 15 to 91 years old Some reach out because this is more private than talking to their pastor For some, correspondence is back and forth multiple times/may present challenges with closure

What we learned Communicate the availability of service Community newspapers Local clergy have responded positively Some have referred their congregants to us E-chaplain refers to local religious resources

What we have learned Community service that others may want to tap Department of Veterans’ Affairs for support to families Link for grief support and bereavement Missouri State Funeral Assistance program (public servant who have died in action)

Plans to Expand Offer e-chaplaincy in all Mercy service areas Intranet Internet “My Mercy” (patient portal) Part of referral/ education in clinic settings

Expansion this year Available on all Mercy websites Identifying and training e-chaplains Centralized staffing for e-chaplaincy to provide response in timely manner Quality improvement

What does e-chaplaincy allow Same level of professionalism of BCC in new media No proselytizing Confidentiality Allows patient/family to access at their convenience

What does e-chaplaincy allow Ideas for using other technology for ministry Integrating into team that is managing chronic illness (medical home model) Cost-effective communication

Your questions?

Additional Information Found in Catholic Health World Changes in Chaplaincy (September 1, 2010) http://www.chausa.org/Contenttwocolumn.aspx?pageid=2147487908&terms=chaplains E-Chaplaincy (October 1, 2009) http://www.chausa.org/Contenttwocolumn.aspx?pageid=2848&terms=e-chaplaincy For more information, contact : Ken Potzman Ken.potzman@mercy.net Julie Jones Julie.jones2@mercy.net Mark Chamberlin Mark.chamberlin@mercy.net