The Voices of Chaplains...
Reflections from the Edges
By Cristina Garcia-Alfonso
The fear that slowly started to build in me took me by surprise as we immersed ourselves in preparedness for something none of us was really prepared for. Being a chaplain at a trauma center, training students in the art of CPE, of “showing up” as the “non-anxious presence” that is so essential, became a challenge.
Along with my colleagues, we were faced with making decisions to ensure the health of our chaplains, residents, and interns, to protect them and their families from potential virus exposure. This was uncharted territory for all of us, adjusting to a new way of offering spiritual care in the unknown. This crisis affected everyone, especially the staff who bravely showed up every day holding their fear, yet caring for patients and families who were not allowed to accompany their loved ones.
Somehow in this war zone, I continued to work and adjust to the ways in which I educated my CPE residents and adjusted the CPE intern group program. Along with my colleagues, we made changes to our on-call calendar, implemented new guidelines for on-call chaplaincy response in accordance to the hospital changes, supported patients and families over the phone when unable to do so in person, found ways to support the staff, and cared for the living and the dead.
