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 chaplain represents a broad array of religious faiths and cultural backgrounds, and supports every individual's worldview without imposing their own. Our chaplain 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, a chaplain 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.
