Chaplain Michael Gross on break time with the chaplains

Come by…Take a break…Eat a snack…Feel renewed…

Waiting…Wondering…Hoping…Praying… Intensive care waiting rooms are some of the most anxiety-filled places in a hospital. Loved ones wait for the next visiting hour. Loved ones wait to get a medical update. Oftentimes, I think those receiving medical care are fortunate. They have medical professionals, comfort measures, and other specialists to help them through. Their loved ones are left to cope with the spiritual and emotional stress of the hospitalization, waiting and wondering.

The chaplains at Brookwood wanted to find a way to express care and help loved ones take a break. With that goal in mind, we developed the Pastoral Care Intensive Care Unit Family/Friend Support Program. We worked on a variety of names like “Oasis,” “Relax,” silly names, and other more proper names. It seemed that a simple name was best, so we went with “Break Time With the Chaplains.” We wrote up our plan and talked with the directors of the critical care units. They were very supportive of the plan and offered to help. One director volunteered her centrally-located waiting room as a gathering place. Our vice president gave her support and provided supplies. The volunteers of the Brookwood Medical Auxiliary took the initiative to start making homemade snacks for the gathering. (I recently went by the volunteer office and they have a list of volunteers ready to bring snacks for the next six months!) While the support program is located in the Pastoral Care Department, it has become a child of the hospital/interdisciplinary community.

“Break Time With the Chaplains” is an informal support group that meets on the second and fourth Thursday of the month. Wednesday afternoons, the chaplains go to the ICU waiting rooms to put up laminated signs inviting families and friends. The hospital information systems staff put an advertisement on the hospital information screens. Surprisingly, the advertisement has helped Pastoral Care increase visibility in the hospital at all levels. Staff regularly ask how the support program is going. On the Thursdays we meet, we set up the food (sampling some as any proper host would do), make the coffee, put out a stack of the hospital guides, and straighten the meeting room. We go to the ICUs and remind the staff of the gathering. We visit each ICU waiting room to personally invite the families and friends present. I’ll say, “Good morning. I am Michael Gross, one of the chaplains. I want to extend an invitation to you. We are having Break Time With the Chaplains this morning from 9:30-10:30 in the CVSU waiting room on the second floor. We invite you to take a break and have a snack. We have this gathering as an expression of our care for you.” Loved ones usually welcome the invitation and express appreciation for our care.

Chaplains warmly greet each person who attends. We usually have two to three chaplains present. We introduce ourselves and encourage them to get a snack. We start with an icebreaker. We invite them to stay for a few minutes. Family and friends often share their experience of being in the hospital. We use our active listening skills to be supportive. Once they have told the story, they often become more relaxed and share other stories. The break time is an opportunity for the guests to experience a sense of community with the chaplains and the families and friends of the other patients. Attendance varies widely at the gatherings (from 6 to 30) based on acuity and other factors. Our average is twenty guests. Often chaplains establish brief pastoral relationships that call for follow-up visits later in the day or week. If we become aware of specific needs, we respond by alerting the appropriate staff and may discuss the needs during Patient Care Conferences.

"Break Time With the Chaplains" has been a positive program. It has allowed us to provide spiritual and emotional support to a larger number of those in our ICU waiting rooms. It has taken some coordination and the total time commitment for the program has been two-and-a-half hours per gathering, including preparation time. As an added benefit, the program has helped build interdisciplinary relationships. The program has been a fun way to provide spiritual care and an opportunity for some tasty snacks.

FOX6 News in Birmingham recently featured a story on “Break Time With the Chaplains.” Here is the link:

http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=F70F49C97F633D479825636A0AB6FD0C?contentId=5111443&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

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