Eye on Health: Trinity Chaplains - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Eye on Health: Trinity Chaplains

When you or a loved one is a patient at Trinity Hospital, you expect good care from the doctors and nurses.

But there are also people who look out for your spiritual health.

Carla Burbidge tells us about the Trinity Chaplain's in this week's Eye on Health.

Looking over the list of current patients in the hospital at Trinity, Cliff Nelson notes which ones he must stop and visit.

Cliff is the Director of the Chaplain program at Trinity.

There are three: Cliff, a protestant chaplain, and a chaplain who serves the Catholic population.

Besides regular visits in the hospital, the three chaplains respond around the clock, taking turns covering nights and weekends.

That's because whenever there is a code blue or a bad trauma, a chaplain is present.

And currently, there can be plenty of trauma calls.

(Pastor Cliff Nelson, Trinity Chaplain Director) "Trinity is the busiest trauma center in the state, per population, because of the oil and the growth."

With only three chaplains, Cliff says they aren't able to see every patient, but every person who is admitted is asked about their faith, and if they want their pastor or a hospital chaplain to stop by.

They believe healing is a physical, emotional and spiritual process.

(Pastor Cliff Nelson, Trinity Chaplain Director) It is a vital part of who we are is reaching out to all areas, we aren't putting an agenda on the patient, it is our presence, we respond to their needs."

(prayer)

The Trinity chaplains are there for comfort, and spiritual guidance at a time when it is greatly needed.

And that goes beyond the walls of the hospital.

They will go out into the community when requested, representing the hospital, and often sharing information about living wills and medical directives.

For Eye on Health I'm Carla Burbidge