Religious groups in Abbotsford, B.C., have pledged up to $25,000 to hire a part-time spiritual care coordinator for the regional hospital after a dozen chaplain positions were cut late last year.
Rev. Dr. Hans Kouwenberg, minister at Calvin, Abbotsford, and the 2007 moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, has spearheaded the initiative as part of his work with the Abbotsford Christian Leaders Network. The plan is backed by several faith groups including local churches, mosques, and Sikh and Hindu temples, many of which have pledged between $500 and $3,000.
Kouwenberg says he considers the one-year chaplain position a “stop gap” solution to a deeper problem.
“The faith communities are entering into this with some fear and trepidation because we feel the government should be paying for this,” he said. “Chaplaincy is part of holistic health care. We must take care of not just the body and mind, but the spirit.”
Fraser Health, which provides care to about 1.5 million people living in communities between Burnaby and Hope in western British Columbia, announced the elimination of a dozen full-time non-denominational spiritual care positions on Nov. 5, 2009, a move that would shave about $650,000 annually from its $2.48 billion budget. It was among a series of cuts aimed at consolidating services and limiting the impact of a projected $10 million deficit. Social workers and volunteers from faith communities now provide spiritual support — which a Fraser Health report classified as a “non-core service” — at the authority’s 12 regional hospitals. Chaplains were retained in hospice and residential care facilities.
“Staff are missing the chaplains,” Kouwenberg said. “There are families who may not be connected to a faith community but may have to face issues — like end of life issues — and want council and advice from a spiritual source. Many are falling through the cracks.”
At press time, Kouwenberg was working with representatives of the Fraser Health Authority to create a “spiritual care covenant” which would be inclusive of all faiths, and has asked for the creation of a local spiritual care advisory council to monitor the work of a part-time chaplain. — C.Purvis
