Pastoral Services

The staff of Regional Hospital of Jackson recognizes the importance of spiritual and emotional support for patients and their families during times of hospitalization. Some patients feel the need for prayer, scripture reading, anointing, Communion, pastoral counseling, and/or spiritual and emotional support. The hospital Chaplain is available to all patients regardless of their religious or church affiliations.

Appropriate times in which patients may feel the need to call the chaplain are:

• prior to planned surgery or emergency/life-threatening surgery
• unexpected diagnosis or major change in diagnosis
• change in prognosis or poor prognosis
• spiritual crisis or questioning of faith
• expressing emotional or spiritual concerns
• unexpected loss of baby

Appropriate times in which families may feel the need to call the chaplain are:

• when a patient's death is near or has occurred
• when life-supportive measures are being given (CPR)
• when end-of-life decisions are being considered

Pastoral Care is available 24 hours a day both through the hospital Chaplain and trained local pastors who provide on-call support during times in which the Chaplain is unavailable. To request a visit from the Chaplain, ask your nurse to contact the Pastoral Care Office or contact the office directly 661-2454 or through the hospital operator at 661-2000. The Chaplain or the nursing staff are also willing to contact a patient's own minister at the patient's request. These contacts will only be made at the request of the patient as specified in the Federal Guidelines on Privacy and Confidentiality (HIPAA).

Chapel

The hospital chapel is open 24 hours a day for prayer. It is located on the first floor of the hospital near the main visitors elevators. Also, located on the second floor next to the Family Birth and ICU waiting rooms, there is an outdoor meditation garden that is available to family and patients.

Medical Ethics Advisory Committee

There are times in the treatment of patients where the patient, family, physician(s), and other medical staff are not always in agreement as to the best route to pursue in the care of a patient. An Ethical Advisory Committee with a multidisciplinary composition is available to assist with resolving conflicts in patient care. Consultation with the committee may be of benefit in these specific categories of decision-making:

• The patient's right to quality care
• The patient's right to care that is considerate and respectful of his or her personal values and beliefs regardless of race, religion, age, sex, physical or mental disability or national origin
• The patient's right to be informed about and participate in decisions regarding his or her care
• The patient's right to participate in ethical questions that arise in the course of his or her care, including refusing treatment, withholding or withdrawing life-supportive care, and participating in investigational studies or clinical trials
• The patient's right to security, privacy and confidentiality of information
• The patient's right to have a designated decision-maker in case the patient is incapable of understanding a proposed treatment or procedure or is unable to communicate his or her wishes regarding care
• The patient's right to a second opinion by another physician regarding treatment, procedures, tests or surgery

Should patients or their families want to consult with the Medical Ethics Advisory Committee, their nurse will be glad to contact the Chaplain to arrange for a meeting with the Ethics Committee.