Church of God Chaplain Angelo Betancourt is the recipient of the 2021 Clinical Excellence lnterprofessional-lndividual Award for the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest, Fort Worth, Texas. The award is given for excellence from across multiple professional disciplines within his hospital.

Chaplain Betancourt serves as a member of the palliative care team which specializes in multi-disciplinary team collaboration in family conferencing and facilitating end-of-life decision making. Additionally, he has specialized experience in Emergency Medicine (Trauma) and Intensive Care Unit ministry.

When a hospital death occurs on his shift, Chaplain Betancourt is there to minister to the patient and the patient's loved ones. He also follows up with staff who worked with the patient to offer comfort and support. One of the hospital staff stated, “The amount of death that we have seen these past 12 months exceeds anything we've experienced in the past. Angelo's personal follow-up means a great deal to our employees. When the ED lost an important member of their team, he was an advocate for making sure the employees were able to receive grief counseling.” Another staff member observed, “For this past year, Angelo Betancourt has been an exemplar for providing emotional and spiritual support not only to patients but to his co-workers. With his background in compassion fatigue, he helps keep us grounded so we can be present for our patients.”

Multiple departments in the hospital shared appreciation for the prayers Chaplain Betancourt shared with the staff in the early days of COVID. Departmental members commented, “Our fear of the unknown was a huge barrier to being able to give excellent care to COVID patients. He attended PCU 3's evening huddles at 6:45 pm even though his regular workday ends at 4:30 pm. He went to staff meetings in Radiology and Rehabilitation Services to lead staff in prayers. Multiple employees have mentioned they would see him on units praying with staff. When ED was short staffed, he was there comforting patients and staff.”

As a board-certified Chaplain, he has shared his expertise with professionals beyond the scope of his local hospital. Chaplain Betancourt wrote a study on compassion fatigue which he presented at the annual conference for Association of Professional Chaplains, and also at the National Faith Community Nurses Conference.

Chaplain Betancourt’s pastoral care is appreciated across the staff of the hospital. A member of the staff acknowledged, “He has a knack for saying what others are thinking but may be too frightened to put into words. Whether it's through his reflections during our daily safety briefings, praying with us when we need support to face the unknown or catching someone as they walk through the hallways to make sure they are okay, Angelo makes sure that we are able to continue to give our best care to our patients.” Another staff member said, “He has a sixth sense for knowing where he can help by being the calm in a storm.”

The Church of God appreciates Angelo’s genuine heart for ministry and passion to show the love of Christ to those who are in need. We commend the outstanding ministry he provides day in and day out. The Chaplains Commission celebrates this special recognition from his coworkers and Texas Health. Well done Chaplain Betancourt!