March 27, 2007 — Perhaps the most ubiquitous visitors in the territory's hospitals, clergy members are a welcome sight to so many ailing patients and their families. During an important and informative seminar in the All Faiths Chapel at Schneider Regional Medical Center (SRMC), clergy learned about hospital guidelines to follow in order to receive full access to patients.
Chief Operating Officer Amos Carty Jr. welcomed the group by saying, “These are challenging times for the hospital. It is taxing and wearing, but we know we can count on you. We are your partners in trying to heal this community.”
The Tuesday morning session was the first in a three-part series set to wrap up in November to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the chapel.
The training session dispensed information on confidentiality and privacy procedures, as well as other hospital regulations to help better provide pastoral services to SRMC patients. Only clergy members who attend the orientation and thrice-annual training sessions receive 24-hour access to patients. They were also advised of on-call clergy rotations for the coming months.
Rev. Toi A. Barbel, SRMC’s chaplain and pastoral care chair, hosted the event and said that bringing doctors together with clergy is the best thing for the hospital’s patients.
“It’s a great partnership. We bring in the doctors to give the medical perspective and the pastors in to give the spiritual perspective,” she said.
Patricia Lake-Blyden, director of compliance and privacy, explained the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA), a federal law enacted in 2003 regarding the use and disclosure of health information. The act requires that all health care providers maintain a patient’s privacy — and this includes the clergy who visit and minister to many in the hospital.
Specifically, the clergy can only visit patrons of their faith unless requested by a patient or family member. They must respect the privacy and wishes of other patients in proximity and may not divulge any specifics on the diagnosis, unless prior permission from the patient is obtained.
The penalties can be severe if a patient’s privacy is violated, with prison terms of up to 10 years and $250,000 in fines.
HIPAA adherence is required of all health care employees, faith communities and volunteers; and all are required to undergo training.
The session was filled with speakers, songs, prayers and inspirational words. Those speaking included Pastor Leroy Cabey, The Rev. Ray K. Joseph and Deacon Austin Medina. The entire group joined in as psalmist Yvonne Washington-Turay sang.
The Rev. Makeba D’Abreu, an official with the Balm in Gilead, a national nonprofit organization helping to turn Black churches into centers of support for people with AIDS and HIV, spoke of the 903 people with HIV on the island. She praised the group: “ You are already pastoring and comforting, but our work is never done. You are always on call, always there.”
The keynote speaker of the morning was Dr. Luis Amaro, who spoke at some length and detail about autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, fibromyalgia and other conditions. Amaro spoke in layman’s terms and defined and described many aspects of various diseases. He also informed the group of the treatments and outcomes for those illnesses.
Dr. Reva Richardson, an internist who also serves as co-pastor at the Living Hope Cathedral, gave a talk on how clergy can assist parishioners through pain management and prayer. She cited several prominent studies that indicate the power of prayer and faith in promoting health and well-being.
According to Richardson, these studies show that prayer can be effective in coping with chronic medical problems. “People with faith tend to be more optimistic, more adaptive and have lower stress levels."
Following her presentation, Richardson said to the clergy, “We’re not trying to make you doctors, but when you know about a disease and how it affects the body, you know better how to pray for a person.”
Finally, nursing recruiter Marsulite C. Cohen informed clergy members that SRMC is aggressively looking for registered nurses and encouraged the public to join in the search. Up to $2,000 in referral bonuses are available to V.I. residents who find qualified RNs who agree to at least one year of service at the hospital.
For further information call (340) 776-8311, ext. 5068
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