Spiritual Care Services

The Spiritual Care Department provides high-quality clinical chaplaincy and spiritual care to the members of Kaiser Permanente, their loved ones, and the communities we serve. This means providing spiritual presence and spiritual resources in a timely manner. To do so, we acknowledge and affirm the distinctive and complementary roles of highly skilled, board certified clinical chaplains, chaplains-in-training, spiritual care volunteers, other clinicians, and community faith group representatives (including clergy).

Care of the spirit is essential in the hospital, just as tending to the physical needs of our patients and families. Care of the spirit is much broader than one or any religious doctrine. While offering prayer at bedside, reading scripture, or facilitating religious rituals are crucially important to some of our patients, these practices are not the only aspects of caring for one’s spirit. Spiritual care involves a gentle, caring presence, and an openness to hear the questions that may come to mind when facing changes in life that often come with a hospital course. We provide spiritual care to all people without regard to race, ethnicity, national origin, class, age, physical disability, faith group background or affiliation, or sexual or gender identity, orientation, or preference.

We visit patients, family, and staff, not primarily to speak, but to listen actively and attentively! We are interested in your life and experience so that together we can discover together your story. Hospitalization and illness can be disorienting to the spirit- we hope to discover together what brings purpose and meaning to you and to your life. Let us know how we can support you!