from Plan Views, a publication of The HealthCare Chaplaincy Dr. Diane Bridges on preparing pastorally for the inevitable

Spiritual Care at the Heart of Pandemic Planning With the apparent inevitability of an Avian Flu Pandemic on the horizon and the catastrophic consequences that will ensue, it is imperative that chaplains and spiritual leaders consider in advance the critical role they have to play in a preparedness plan. At our health Care Centre we have extensive and thorough preparations in the works…everything from workforce planning, supply chain management, infection control to morgue capacity etc.

This pandemic, unlike SARS (which we recently experienced at crisis levels in Toronto) is not about containment; it is about capacity. Because a pandemic could last more than a year, healthcare employees and their families will be at personal risk when the pandemic is in their community. The physical, personal, social, emotional and spiritual challenges must be addressed in order for these first responders to maximize their personal resilience and professional performance. During a pandemic situation, a percentage of employees will show signs of anxiety and distress, confusion about what to do and outright fear for their own safety and that of their loved ones. These folks will be more vulnerable to fear mongers. Considerable personal support will be required in order for staff to keep working. With this reality will come the need for extensive and sometimes troubling ethical decision making ranging from allocation of scarce resources to personal decisions about showing up for work. All systems will be stressed to the limits. I sit on our hospital-wide planning committee and am confident about the expertise and foresight of all involved. What concerns me is the high level of personal angst and fear that I experience from my colleagues who struggle with their own thoughts about these realities. Certainly, while we cannot always control what happens in life we are more able to control HOW we will choose to act in times of crisis. Viktor Frankl gave us wise counsel in writing that, "Everything can be taken from a man - but the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." In light of this awareness, I am actively engaging our staff, the faith communities, funeral directors and other community support people to begin discussions about the spiritual and psychosocial issues and resources which will be needed to support a pandemic crisis. We are all involved in an anticipatory grief process and are being challenged to dig deeply to the roots of our faith which must address the eternal questions of life, death and the meanings of suffering. At no time will spiritual care be more critical to positive outcomes than at this time. It is incumbent upon all of us to be apprised of the pandemic planning in our areas and to be proactive in planning our own preparedness approaches…call back lists, counseling support lines, prayer groups, chat rooms etc. With the grace of the Holy One, let us lead the way fearlessly and lovingly in the ways of faith.

Dr. Diane Bridges received her doctor of ministry degree from the University of Toronto, St. Michael's College. She is the director of spiritual & religious care at the Trillium Health Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, one of Canada's top 100 employers, and is a member of CAPPE/ACPEP and the APC. She has authored a number of articles on bereavement and grief recovery. Her passion is the healing ministries.

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