CPMC Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy Services

The challenge of illness can be frightening, but it can also become a vehicle of profound healing and awakening—physically, emotionally and spiritually. We are here for you, whether to hold your hand or celebrate your healing. CPMC chaplains are trained to compassionately attend to the spiritual and emotional needs as well as those of your loved ones.

We offer care and support for people of all religious affiliations as well as those who follow no faith tradition. We can also connect you with a member of your faith community. The CPMC Spiritual Care team consists of staff chaplains, Healing Harp practitioners, Clinical Pastoral Education year-long residents, volunteer chaplains and sacramental ministers.

Spiritual Care Team Mission

Our goal is to provide exceptional professional spiritual care to patients, families and staff inclusive of all religious traditions, cultural backgrounds and spiritual expression. We aim to provide excellent educational opportunities for people preparing for professional chaplaincy and all levels of Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) training. We participate as partners and integrate our services into the mission of the campuses of CPMC.

• Inclusiveness — Our mission is carried out through the values of inclusiveness, as the department and its ACPE program will be multicultural, multiethnic, interdenominational, interfaith and holistically oriented.
• Equity — The department and its ACPE Certified Clinical Pastoral Education Program will foster fairness and access in all its affairs, specifically but not limited to persons and issues of race, culture, faith, gender, sexual orientation and able-bodiedness.
• Community Service — We see our ministry extending beyond CPMC, maintaining networks and relationships with community clergy and faith communities to provide educational resources and outreach.
• Research and Publication — We encourage scholarship related to Spiritual and Pastoral Care, and will promote research and publications as valuable ministries.

Spiritual Care Provided by Chaplains

Patient Care Support Activities:

• Available to visit patients 24/7 on all campuses
• Provides patients with supportive, reflective time to talk about how their spiritual or religious experiences and beliefs can support them in the hospital and healing process
• Offers or arranges for spiritual or religious support for all faith traditions and beliefs
• Provides or arranges for the practice or experience of religious sacraments and rituals, such as baptism, blessing, communion, sacrament of sick, confessions, chanting, etc
• Support to patients’ families and loved ones so they can continue to offer their best care to the patient

Interdisciplinary Team Engagement:

• Provides Spiritual Assessments outlining areas of patient needs and resources, and plans of care
• Shares information about how the patient understands their illness or disease
• Communicates how this hospitalization experience is impacting the patient’s healing process
• Educates the team on how patients' religious or spiritual experiences and beliefs impact their healing process

Staff Care Support Events and Activities:

• Tea for the Soul — a time to check in, offered to teams when they are particularly stressed or after stressful incidents
• Blessing of Hands — for celebrations and times of reflection
• Staff memorial and remembrance services
• Individual one-on-one support
• Religious observance support such as Ash Wednesday, Ramadan, etc

Education and Outreach:

• Our Clinical Pastoral Education program includes students from a wide range of faith traditions, culture, lifestyle and identity orientations.
• Our graduates often return back into their communities where they continue to offer ministry and social engagement advocacy.
• The program’s Professional Advisory Committee is comprised of community faith leaders and spiritual care professionals who offer guidance to our program.
• Our team engages with San Francisco interfaith community organizations.

For Non-Urgent Requests

Chaplains are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Chaplains can be reached at (415) 600-3741.  Please provide us with the following information: Name and extension number of the person making the referral, the patient or family name, patient’s room number, unit, location and nature of the request.

Staff can also request non-urgent chaplain visits for patients by entering a consult request in EPIC.

For Urgent and Emergency Requests

Please call the hospital operator at (415) 600-6000. Staff can dial “10” for the paging operator.

Healing Harp

Healing harp is available at the bedside for patients, family and staff. The harp has been used as a therapeutic instrument for thousands of years, helping patients create an opening for healing in the body, mind, emotions and spirit. Specific harp playing techniques geared toward individual patients have been shown to reduce pain, lower blood pressure, regulate breathing, relieve depression and anxiety, stimulate the immune system, and provide spiritual comfort. To make a referral for Healing Harp, please call (415) 600-3741.