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

2. Introductions Opening Prayer

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

9. Context – Mercy’s Pastoral Services
Restructured Pastoral Services FY2011
Looking broader than hospital to ministry-wide needs within emerging model of care
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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. How e-chaplaincy began
2009 created to enhance communication between the chaplain and parents of NICU and PICU patients. s
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

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

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

19. First year of experience
About 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

20. 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

21. 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)

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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. Your questions?

27. Additional Information
Found in Catholic Health World
Changes in Chaplaincy (September 1, 2010)
E-Chaplaincy (October 1, 2009)
For more information, contact :
Ken Potzman
Julie Jones
Mark Chamberlin