SeniorConnectionsHJ . COM Senior Connections March / April 2024
Spiritual health is not an optional part of the health equation
BY PATRICK HERSON
MinnPost
When I began medical school 40 years ago , I was worried that while I loved the beauty of anatomy , and the wonderful orchestration that underlies how our bodies work , and the amazing chemical engineering achieved by our livers and kidneys , I was losing the forest for the trees . And , to me , the “ forest ” was the people who are occasionally known as “ patients .”
To counter the reductionism of the first two years of medical school , I applied to and was accepted into a 12-month chaplaincy training program . I had no notion of becoming a minister or priest but I did understand that the spiritual domain of health was important to many people and that the year away would give me a focus to explore what I could bring to my patients as a doctor and a person .
Once accepted I then had to get permission from the dean of students to take a leave from my studies ; after I laid out my plan and the rationale behind it he replied , “ Well , you might be the dumbest student we ’ ve ever had , or the wisest . Time will tell . You have my blessing to try this .”
That year was a formative experience and one I hope impacts the care I provide patients to this day .
After a career as a family doctor and then a long detour into leadership in several roles , including in the former Fairview Medical Group , I did a late career fellowship in palliative and hospice medicine . I ’ ve worked since 2020 as a full-time palliative care doctor in the MHealth Fairview system . As a palliative care doctor I work with patients and their families with serious , life limiting illnesses . I seek to ease their suffering whether it is physical , emotional or spiritual . By its nature palliative medicine is interdisciplinary and on our team are a group of talented clinical social workers , chaplains , advanced practice providers and doctors .
In my leadership roles at Fairview I was responsible for managing my budget and I was blessed with a strong leadership team that would often tell me when they thought I was getting close to or crossing “ the stupid line ” — making cuts in some areas that were too onerous or unjust or failing to make investments that would improve our quality or access to our teams . I ’ m not privy to the discussions that occurred with the recent staff cuts in the Spiritual Health area but it seems to me they crossed the stupid line .
M Health Fairview says that they don ’ t need a robust SH department because patients can turn to their own spiritual leaders . Really ? Since the University of Minnesota sees itself as a regional referral center , how can we expect a patient ’ s pastor from outstate or Iowa or the Dakotas or western Wisconsin to be able to come to attend to them or their family ? And not every pastor has the specialized training that our chaplains possess .
Even in the metro area it can be a burden for a pastor to come visit a patient getting care . When I had elective heart surgery at M Health St . John ’ s in Maplewood 17 months ago , I received a beautiful blessing from my pastor a few days before my surgery and then on the morning of my surgery a staff chaplain was there to offer a prayer for my wife and me . There is no way my pastor , a mother of two small children , could have been at St . John ’ s at 6:30 that morning . A skilled and compassionate chaplain named Jessica was there and then a couple of days later she was present to celebrate the success of my surgery and recovery .
M Health Fairview leadership also seems ignorant that about 30 % of adults in the U . S . don ’ t have a religious affiliation or don ’ t consider themselves to be part of a “ church .” They often tell me they are “ spiritual but not religious .” And many tell me their connection to their church shrunk during COVID lockdowns and they ’ ve struggled to reconnect and so they might not know their pastor very well . These patients don ’ t have someone to call on . For them , our staff chaplains may provide the spiritual comfort they desire or an ear to hear their fears that their illness or injury may be some kind of punishment . Our chaplains often are the staff who have time to “ just listen ” as people sort out their new reality when faced with new diagnoses or a bad prognosis .
I ’ ve also spoken to many families who are religious and can ’ t routinely visit their relatives who readily accept my invitation that someone from the SH team will stop outside their room and offer silent prayer . Since the chaplains are well known I often see them make their rounds stopping outside one ICU room after another and often with other staff stopping to join them .
Fairview leadership also suggests that there isn ’ t a need for chaplains to comfort and minister to hospital staff . After all , they explain , they offer a robust Employee Assistance Program ( EAP ). I ’ m not here to knock EAP programs — I ’ ve used them several times , but I ’ ve never seen an EAP person in the break room or nurse ’ s station immediately after a bad outcome or tragedy while I ’ ve often seen chaplains right in the thick of that misery — comforting and supporting teams so they can go care for the next patient and then the next one and the next one .
Since the murder of George Floyd , Fairview has made a lot of investments and gotten a lot of good press for their diversity , equity and inclusion efforts . It is nothing short of a tragedy that with their proposed cuts they plan to lay off their Muslim chaplains and others who have been important cultural brokers for many patients and clinical teams .
The deep cuts that M Health Fairview leadership is making in its Spiritual Health department are deplorable and I suspect were made without understanding the interdependencies that exist across its complicated system .
One trait of good leaders is to acknowledge when they ’ ve made a mistake and correct course in open and transparent ways . This approach fosters trust across their organizations — even in difficult and challenging times . The leaders at M Health Fairview need to reframe how they see spiritual health — not as a “ cost center ” to be managed and slashed when needed , but as a unique asset that is valued by those they care for and their staff .
Patrick Herson , M . D ., is the medical director for Palliative Care at M Health Fairview . He is employed by UMPhysicians ; these thoughts are his own and don ’ t represent UMPhysicians or anyone else .
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SeniorConnectionsHJ . COM Senior Connections March / April 2024
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