Local to lead Shetty hospital spiritual needs

(CNS): A Caymanian has been appointed as the hospital chaplain at Dr Shetty’s health city in East End. As well as attending to the spiritual needs of patients and their family and the staff at the facility Charles D Bush will also serve on the hospital’s newly formed Ethics Committee to help provide answers to difficult issues surrounding modern health care. Although a Christian Bush said he was eager to affirm that Health City Cayman Islands is a multi-faith healthcare setting. “We anticipate providing care to multi-religious patients and their families,” he said.

“I am quite passionate about this rich opportunity to affirm and celebrate diversity and to affirm the common dignity of all persons, whoever they are and wherever they are on life’s journey,” Bush added.

Professionally trained to provide spiritual care in a medical setting, Bush will be an active member of the interdisciplinary healing team at Health City, said Dr Chandy Abraham, Medical and Facility Director at Health City. He has been appointed to the position of Manager, Mission Integration and Spiritual Care, a multi-faceted role.

“Chaplain Bush will not only be working with our patients and their families, he will also provide spiritual support for our staff, working towards creating a culture which supports spiritually centred, holistic care,” said Dr Chandy. 

Bush was born and raised in the Cayman Islands. He earned a Master of Divinity from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and completed his clinical training in healthcare chaplaincy at Gwinnett Medical Center, a 600-bed hospital system and Level II trauma centre in the Greater Atlanta area. His research areas include pastoral care, faith formation, mental health and outreach to youth at-risk. Chaplain Bush is certified by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. He is an affiliate of the Association of Professional Chaplains and a commissioned Episcopal Lay Chaplain (Diocese of Atlanta).

“The role of a hospital chaplain is to assess a patient’s pastoral care needs and create a plan of care, offering comfort and with a non-judgmental, non-anxious presence. Simply put, a hospital chaplain is an extension of the holistic model of healthcare in which the whole person is cared for: body, mind and spirit,” the chaplain stated.

“The spiritual care at Health City is patient-focused and I will be seeking to draw out the resources of the individual. I believe that we are each our own best authority on what our faith or spirituality is. I am committed to working with community clergy and faith leaders, as collaborative partners in pastoral care,” he added.

Health City’s chaplain said he looked forward to helping the hospital live out its vision of providing person-centered world class healthcare and ensuring that healthcare is accessible to all.

A volunteer Associate Clergy Chaplain and Associate Lay Chaplain programme will also be announced in the near future, officials said in a release about the appointment.