Spiritual Care Services
The Spiritual Care Department, is an integral part of the interdisciplinary healthcare team at Valley Presbyterian Hospital. Patients, family members and loved ones will find a wide variety of services that go hand-in-hand with spiritual care.
With the philosophy that healing involves the whole person - body, mind, and soul - the Spiritual Care Department supports patients and families in spiritual and emotional distress. Our chaplains represent a broad array of religious faiths and cultural backgrounds and support every individual's worldview without imposing their own. Chaplains can help with:
- Spiritual and emotional healing support
- Prayers and blessings
- Rituals and Sacraments
- End-of-life issues, and assistance with Advance Healthcare Directives
- Grief support for patients and family members
- Family support and participation in family-staff meetings
- Communicating patients' cultural and spiritual needs to staff
- Assessing and addressing your spiritual needs
- Support for difficult decision-making
- Critical incident stress management (CISM) and group crisis intervention
- Support for any patient, loved one, or staff experiencing existential/philosophical distress or questioning
What is a Chaplain?
A chaplain is a minister who has undergone specialized training to serve in an institutional setting. Thus, chaplains may be found serving with the police, the military, fire departments and, of course, within hospitals. Your chaplain will have first earned a graduate degree in theology, divinity, spirituality, or a related field, and then served as a resident in a intensive training program to help them better understand how to apply their theological expertise to specific medical situations.
Contacting the Chaplain
Ian Leyva
Contact:
818.902.5160
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Psychiatry Specialist
Rose Onyekwe
Contact:
818.424.6794
Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Thursday 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Friday & Saturday 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Our Chapel
In the midst of troublesome times, it is often helpful to spend some time in a quiet place. To facilitate your ability to pray or meditate for a period of time, an interfaith chapel is located on the first floor adjacent to the Main Lobby and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
