When I entered medical school 40 years ago, while I loved the beauty of anatomy, the amazing organization underlying how our bodies work, and the amazing chemical engineering accomplished by the liver and kidneys, , were worried that they would lose their forests. wood. And for me, the “forest” was the people I sometimes called my “patients.”
To counter the reductionism of the first two years of medical school, I applied to and was accepted into a 12-month pastoral training program. I never had any thoughts of becoming a pastor or priest, but I understood that the spiritual realm of health is important to many people, and what I bring to my patients as a doctor and as a person. I thought I could focus on exploring what I could do for the past year. .
Once I passed, I had to get permission from the Dean of Students to take a break from my studies. After I explained my plan and the rationale behind it, he replied: Time will tell. Bless you for trying this. ”
That year was a formative experience that I hope has influenced the care I provide to my patients to this day.
After a career as a family physician and then a long detour to leadership positions in several positions, including the former Fairview Medical Group, I entered a late fellowship in palliative and hospice medicine. Since 2020, he has been working as a full-time palliative care physician in the MHealth Fairview system. As a palliative care physician, I work with patients and their families with serious, life-threatening illnesses. I aim to alleviate their suffering, whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual. By its nature, palliative care is multidisciplinary, and our team includes a group of talented clinical social workers, chaplains, advanced practice providers, and physicians.
In my leadership role at Fairview, I was responsible for managing the budget, and strong leadership often told me when I was approaching or crossing the “stupid line.” I’m blessed with the team. The burden is too great, unreasonable, or a failure to invest in improving quality or access to the team. I don’t know what the recent discussion has been about layoffs in the spiritual health field, but it seems to me that they have crossed the line into stupidity.
M Health Fairview says it doesn’t need a strong SH department because patients can rely on their spiritual leaders. Really? Since the University of Minnesota considers itself a regional referral center, how can we expect patient chaplains from out of state, from Iowa, the Dakotas, and western Wisconsin, to be able to come to care for patients and their families? Is it? And not all pastors have the professional training of pastors.
Even in large metropolitan areas, it can be a burden for chaplains to visit patients receiving care. When the Maplewood native underwent elective heart surgery at M Health St. John’s 17 months ago, he received a wonderful blessing from his pastor just days before the surgery. Then, on the morning of the surgery, a staff chaplain came and offered prayers. his wife and me. There is no way my pastor, a mother of two young children, was in St. John’s at 6:30 that morning. A skilled and caring pastor named Jessica was there and a few days later she was present to celebrate the success of my surgery and recovery.
M Health Fairview leaders also seem unaware that approximately 30% of U.S. adults have no religious affiliation or do not consider themselves part of a “church.” is. They often tell me that they are “spiritual but not religious.” And many say they may not know their pastors well because they have become less connected to their church during the coronavirus lockdown and are struggling to reconnect. Masu. These patients have no one to talk to. Our staff chaplains can provide them with the spiritual comfort they desire or provide an ear to listen to their fears that their illness or injury is some kind of punishment. Our chaplains are often the ones on staff who have time to “just listen” as people process their new reality when faced with a new diagnosis or poor prognosis.
I have also spoken to many families who are too religious to visit their relatives regularly, and they accept my invitation to have someone from the SH team stop outside their room for a moment of silence. They kindly accepted. The chaplain is well known and is often seen stopping and making his rounds outside the ICU room, with other staff members also stopping to join in.
Fairview leadership has also indicated that chaplains are not required to comfort or minister to hospital staff. After all, they explain that they offer a strong Employee Assistance Program (EAP). I’m not here to deny his EAP program. I’ve used it several times, but I’ve never seen his EAP personnel in the break room or nurse’s station right after a bad outcome or tragedy. On the other hand, I often saw pastors showing up right away. In the midst of their misery, he comforts and supports his team so they can go care for the next patient, and the one after that.
[image_caption]Dr. Patrick Herson[/image_caption]Since the killing of George Floyd, Fairview has made significant investments and received a lot of positive press for its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is nothing short of tragic that their proposed cuts plan to lay off Muslim chaplains and others who were important cultural intermediaries for many patients and clinical teams. .
The significant cuts that M Health Fairview leadership is making in the spiritual health sector are deplorable and I believe they were made without understanding the interdependencies that exist throughout that complex system. I doubt it.
One of the characteristics of great leaders is admitting when they make a mistake and correcting themselves in an open and transparent manner. This approach fosters trust throughout the organization, even during difficult and difficult times. M Health Fairview leaders view spiritual health not as a “cost center” to be managed and reduced as needed, but as a unique asset valued by the people they care about and their staff. You need to restructure your methods.
Dr. Patrick Herson is the Medical Director of Palliative Care at M Health Fairview. He is employed by a paramedic. These thoughts are his own and do not represent UMP Doctors or anyone else.
