Reflection 1

At this point one of our hospital chaplains provides a reflection. One of our chaplains likes to read these quotes with an instrumental version of “As I Walk Through the Storm” playing in the background, and it seems to work well as the participants reflect on three excerpts from scripture. The first is: Matthew 25: 34 -40 “Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. I won’t try to dissect all of the details in this passage, but it specifically mentions three concepts that are integral to Christian healing: 1. We must visit the sick. 2. We must supply people’s needs. 3. The creator identifies with sick people. While this passage identifies what we are supposed to do to be healers, the passage for next week tells us what our attitude needs to be.

Broadening Access

I think the message that you give new physicians is important and of course you adjust it for the institution. I give you this example based on the Ascension Health Mission Statement: This mission that you are joining has some other implications for your practice. Note that we serve the poor and vulnerable. For instance, do you accept charity patients? Do you accept Medicaid? Some of you will find the “Catholic” part of this statement troublesome. If you are Roman Catholic, this will be an easy part of your Catholic identity. If you are not, recall that “catholic” simply means “universal” and implies that we serve everyone from prince to pauper. Nevertheless, “Catholic” ministry implies adherence to the Religious and Ethical Directives of the Church. Notice the dedication to “spiritually centered, holistic care”. Holistic is not about nuts and berries. Rather, it is a care with three dimensions: spirit, mind and body. Finally, there is a social advocacy that extends even beyond our medical work. This is the mission you join when you practice here. What drives this healing mission are sayings by Jesus of Nazareth

Mission-Vitality Connnection

The vitality of an institution is in its roots. For instance, the vitality of a tree is in its roots. The entire tree may be cut down, and shoots of new growth can be seen weeks later emerging from the roots. So, the new physician to understand the vitality of St. Vincent Hospital, for example, they must understand its roots. The roots are in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer. These are key words: “loving”, “ministry”, and “healer”. Invite the new physician to spend some time thinking about what those terms imply for thier practice. Invite them to consider how physicians express love at the bedside or at the nurse’s station? Ministry is about serving. How can you best serve those around you, including your family? What does it mean to be a healer?

Hospital as Mission

We think of our hospitals as hospitals but if they are faith-based they are actually a mission, meaning that we are sent here for a special purpose. I practiced in an Ascension Health hospital. Ascension describes its mission this way: “Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually centered, holistic care, which sustains and improves the health of individuals and communities. We are advocates for a compassionate and just society through our actions and our words.” Other hospitals and systems use different descriptions but have a similar focus.

Framework is Important

The next component is to give a brief institutional history. The feedback I received by way of the program evaluations revealed that institutional history was not deeply cherished. I adjusted my presentation in response. I shared this negative feedback with subsequent physicians and emphasized that this story tells why we do health care and why we do it a certain way. Later evaluations disclosed that reframing the story made it the “most helpful” part of orientation on about 25 per cent of the evaluations.