Chaplaincy Services

The Healthcare Chaplain is an integral member of the healthcare team working in conjunction with physicians, nurses, and other caregivers. The Chaplaincy Services Department provides emotional and spiritual support to patients, their families, hospital staff, and volunteers. The Chaplains work as part of the healing team and may include responding to crises; assisting persons in the resolution of ethical questions regarding patient care; contacting pastors, priests, rabbis, or other religious representatives as requested; and providing ongoing spiritual support,

Chaplaincy Services Staff

Patients and their families, as well as staff, who need spiritual and emotional support, can turn to the Albemarle Hospital Chaplaincy Services staff. The men and women of our team are a diverse group of spiritually mature and culturally competent people.

How to Contact a Chaplain

Patients: To speak with a chaplain, arrange a visit, or request a spiritual caregiver of a particular faith tradition, please call (252) 384-4125 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On evenings, holidays, and weekends, ask your nurse to contact a chaplain.

Nurses,  Physicians, and Staff: For non-evergent needs, please enter a “consult” through order entry in Meditech (this does not need a physician order). On Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., please call extension 4125. On evenings, holidays, and weekends, please call the operator to page the on-call volunteer chaplain. For emergent needs, call the operator.

Requests and Consultations

Patients and families of all faiths can request a visit with a chaplain. Any member of the health team can assist making a consultation. People call on chaplains for a number of reasons:

  • Apprehension about surgery
  • Loneliness and isolation
  • Discouragement and despair
  • Helplessness and hopelessness
  • Loss of meaning and purpose
  • Fear and anxiety
  • Conflict with others
  • Facing change and loss
  • Struggling with the meaning of life
  • Feeling cut off from God
  • Grappling with questions about life and death
  • Baptisms, blessings, and naming ceremonies
  • When there is a miscarriage or stillbirth
  • When a patient is near death or has died
  • Needing the comfort of prayer or spiritual support
  • Support for changes in code status
  • Decisions regarding a living will and advance directives
  • Working through the loss of a loved one
  • Facing ethical dilemmas
  • Request for resources, such as Bibles, Rosaries, Sacred Texts, and Shabbat candles
  • Wishing to receive Communion, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or Sacrament of the Sick
  • Hospital personnel needing pastoral guidance or counsel
  • Family members wishing a visit from a chaplain
  • Other types of spiritual care as needed
  • When a patient or family is having difficulty dealing with a diagnosis, prolonged illness, or deterioration of the patient’s condition

Chaplains Provide Emotional and Spiritual Support

  • Chaplains listen with respect and without judgment.
  • Chaplains journey with patients, families, and staff through grief and loss.
  • Chaplains facilitate debriefings after difficult events.
  • Chaplains provide partnership in prayer.
  • Chaplains offer comfort in times of distress and despair.

Albemarle Hospital Chapel

If you need a quiet, meditative space, the Chapel is located on the first floor near the Main Lobby and is always open. A scheduled worship service is provided at 3:00 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month. This service is also broadcasted live on channel 18 of the hospital television system.

Spiritual Well Being

Spiritual Well Being is a concept which is multidimensional in nature, incorporating both existential and religious elements. The existential aspect focuses on purpose and meaning in life, while the religious aspect revolves around a person’s relationship or understanding of God or the sacred. The concept of Spiritual Well Being may be defined as “the affirmation of life in a relationship with God, and/or self, community, and environment that nurtures and celebrates wholeness.”

Spiritual Well Being Support Groups

The Albemarle Hospital Chaplaincy Services Department offers free grief support opportunities on a regular basis:

When You Need Support (W.Y.N.S.)  is a support group geared toward those who have dealt with their grief journey in the past but from time to time need encouragement and support. This group meets the second Tuesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. in the Albemarle Hospital Education Center. Registration is not required.

Albemarle Hospital respects the religious diversity of our patients and staff. We will try to accommodate any requests related to your religious beliefs to make your experience with us as comfortable as possible.

Spirituality and Health Resources