We Can Do Better: Why Pastoral Care Visitation to Hospitals is Essential, Especially in Times of Crisis.

ABSTRACT: From his perspective as a general surgeon, Episcopal priest and Medical Director for High Risk Populations and Outcomes at a large health-care system, the author identifies an unrecognized problem that clergy were banned from visiting parishioners in most hospitals across the country during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic-a situation that persists in many contexts. The author explains why pastoral visitation should be considered essential care-especially at a time of crisis-and encourages hospital administrators across the country to clarify policies to welcome community clergy as essential personnel, but to do so with prudent procedures that mitigate risk to the community and to the visiting clergy. Given the fact that most hospitals in this country were founded by religious organizat

SUBMITTER: Hall DE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7392121 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature