Spiritual Care Services

Hunt Regional Healthcare is committed to improving health by providing compassionate spiritual care that is patient-focused and service-oriented.

Answers to Common Questions about Spiritual Care

Spiritual care seeks to help patients find meaning, discover value and maintain hope. Spiritual care supports the patient’s belief system, which often provides health benefits and comfort during difficult times.

The pastoral care department (also known as spiritual care department) employs a staff chaplain who responds to patient, family and staff needs during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Hunt Regional also partners with community clergy members who have been screened and oriented about patient rights and confidentiality. The staff chaplain coordinates and provides oversight of services provided by these community clergy. These valued community clergy members provide care during regular business hours as needed in partnership with the staff chaplain and also provide after-hours spiritual care.

You do not need to be religious to receive spiritual care. An individual’s religious foundation may provide support during a health crisis or difficult times, but even individuals who have no religious affiliation have a spiritual dimension and spiritual needs.

Religious care in the hospital setting is ideally provided through an existing relationship between the patient and their own religious entity. In other words, the patient’s own pastor, minister or other clergy may provide meaningful care while their member is hospitalized. The hospital spiritual care team does not seek to replace or substitute for this valuable relationship. We encourage it!

Spiritual or pastoral care in a hospital setting is part of a patient's care plan, focusing on the spiritual clinical needs of a patient, in support and in partnership with other healthcare team members.

Accessing Spiritual Care at Hunt Regional

The patient’s nurse can make a referral for spiritual care by sending a consultation request through the hospital computer system, by calling the chaplain at extension 5720 or by calling the hospital operator at extension 5000 when the chaplain is unavailable during the weekday or after hours.

Grief Support Group

Hunt Regional is now offering a grief support group on the third Sunday of each month. The group meetings will be held at 3 p.m. in conference room 1 (located on the second floor of Hunt Regional Medical Center). For more information about the support group, call 903-408-1672.