October 2016 Department Discovery: Chaplain Services

The October Department Discovery shines a light on Campbell County Health’s Chaplain Services.

“This team is given the opportunity at CCH to be an essential figure in the dynamic healing process for patients, families, and staff,” says George Keralis, one of CCH's on-call chaplains.

Not only is CCH dedicated to healing your physical health, we are also dedicated to helping you heal your mind and soul while you are with us by offering a broad range of spiritual care and emotional needs offered with Chaplain Services. According to Donny Edwards, MDiv, CCH’s Chaplain Coordinator, and staff chaplain, there are currently 17 chaplains and 16 abiders on our team. On-Call Chaplains and Abiders are available at CCH to provide spiritual care and emotional support whenever they are needed—providing 24/7 coverage to Campbell County Medical Group's clinics, Campbell County Memorial Hospital (CCMH), The Legacy Living & Rehabilitation Center, Close to Home Hospice House; essentially, all of CCH's entities. CCH's volunteer Chaplains and Abiders are an important part of the healthcare team who help those they serve to deal with a health crisis, end-of-life decisions, or even death.

For those who don’t know, Chaplains provide spiritual support and care to patients, residents, families, and staff at CCMH, and are trained to support people of all spirituality—even to those who may have no spirituality. The Abider team is trained to offer presence and care to our patients and residents who are actively dying and may not have support—the program's goal is to make sure that no one dies alone. CCH also has a HEART team, which is an interdisciplinary team of employees and chaplains in our health system who provide critical incident stress support to the employees of CCH.

“I am surrounded by people who demonstrate grace, wisdom, patience, and love in every aspect of what they do at CCH and in the community," says Donny. "It is an honor to represent chaplain services and a pleasure to serve CCH.”

If you feel the need to see a chaplain, one will be made available to you. Donny is on-site at CCMH weekdays between 8 am–5 pm. Evening and weekend emergencies are covered by on-call chaplains. If you are in need of immediate spiritual care services, you may call 307-688-1540 and request a chaplain.

The Chapel is located on the First Floor of CCMH, located near the Emergency Department. The Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center also has a Chapel located on-site, near the Great Room on the main floor of the building. These sacred spaces are open for prayer, meditation, and reflection for persons of all faiths.

October 23-29 is Pastoral Care Week, which allows CCH the chance to recognize the spiritual caregivers in our midst. A big round of applause to the chaplains and abiders with Chaplain Services! Thank you for all that you do for keeping our community healthy. You can learn more about Chaplain Services at www.cchwyo.org/chaplains.