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NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Receives Renewed Grant for the Chaplain Residency Program As Three New Chaplains Graduate
May 18, 2022
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue celebrated the graduation of three chaplain residents and the award of a $250,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for the hospital’s Chaplain Residency Program. The graduates served as chaplain residents during a trying year as New York City continued to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and the development of new variants. When families were unable to visit, chaplain residents worked with Patient Advocacy, and facilitated video calls, helping loved ones stay connected. The chaplain residents also lead spiritually based discussion groups in inpatient psychiatric units, Forensic, and adolescent psychiatric units. In support of the Helping Healers Heal program, the residents provided spiritual care to hospital staff experiencing emotional stress and secondary trauma.
“Our chaplain residents served as a key resource for patients, families, and staff throughout another historically challenging year,” said William Hicks, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. “The renewal of this grant for the third consecutive year proves the value that the CPE program provides our hospital.”
“The renewed grant will ensure another year of high-level training through Clinical Pastoral Education and the continued delivery of spiritual care through; healing prayer, soothing conversation and support when making difficult healthcare decisions,” said Rabbi Mollie Cantor, Director of Spiritual Care and ACPE Educator.
This year’s $250,000 grant will pay salaries of the new class of chaplain residents starting July 1st, 2022 and program logistics. The yearlong Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) training program requires chaplain residents to participate in a two-week hospital orientation, after which each chaplain resident embarks on a year of independently visiting patients and providing spiritual care. There’s also an educational component, organized by three trimesters and a research component. Each chaplain resident is assigned three clinical care units: an intensive care unit, a general medicine unit and a psychiatric unit. Each of the three units focuses on the development of the chaplain resident for a career in health care chaplaincy, however, the education is designed to benefit any career path they choose.
On April 8th, the Department of Spiritual Care celebrated the graduation of the 2021-2022 class of Chaplain Residents.
- Theresa Brown, who will be applying for jobs as a part-time chaplain.
- Brandon Roiger, will be applying for a degree in social work.
- Jainer Viloria, who will remain at Bellevue as a full-time staff chaplain.
“I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the chaplain resident graduates for making Bellevue part of their journey in the spiritual service,” said William Hicks, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue.
For more information on the Chaplain Residency Program, please visit: nychealthandhospitals.org/Bellevue/clinical-pastoral-education