By Kathy L. Collins
When someone is ill or has been injured and requires a stay in the hospital, the dedicated physicians, nurses and staff at Brandon Regional Hospital can repair the body. But what about the mind, soul and the spirit when they need mending? That is where Brandon Regional Hospital’s Chaplain Program steps in and takes care of the patient and their family.
Since 1977, chaplains from a variety of faiths including those who are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Islamic are available to patients and/or their families for counseling and spiritual support.
Brandon Regional Hospital’s Chaplain Program was established in 1977 by the Brandon Ministerial Association. Today’s program is led by a volunteer Chaplain Coordinator, Minister Samuel Pointer from New Life Tabernacle Church. Minister Pointer has been working with the program since September 2014.
There are 14 chaplains in Brandon Regional Hospital’s Chaplain Program. They are available to talk about feelings and concerns. They can give communion. If a patient’s clergy is unavailable and they are about to have surgery or an important procedure and need to have some prayer beforehand, one of the 14 volunteer chaplains can be there.
Patricia Montgomery, director of public relations for Brandon Regional Hospital said, “Our volunteer chaplains serve the spiritual and emotional needs of our patients and their families. It is a great service that Brandon Regional Hospital has and people look for it during their stay. The chaplains get multiple calls through our nursing staff from patients. People expect us to have chaplains on call, and we want them to know that we are cognizant of their needs.”
Brandon Regional Hospital is a 398 bed acute care facility located in the heart of the greater Brandon area. Brandon Regional Hospital offers state of the art medical technology and procedures including the award winning Heart and Vascular Center, where the latest in cardiovascular surgery and minimally invasive techniques are performed, the Behavioral Health Center, the Women’s Center, which includes Baby Suites and a 22 bed neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and the Reflux Center, a designated Bariatric Center of Excellence.
Brandon Regional Hospital is located at 119 Oakfield Dr. in Brandon. For more information, visit www.brandonhospital.com.
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