Pastoral Care

Bethesda North Hospital Chapel

The Pastoral Care services offered at Bethesda North and Good Samaritan hospitals integrate spiritual health with clinical care. Our pastoral care departments provide: 

• On-call chaplains, available 24 hours a day, every day
• Spiritual care and emotional support for patients, families, visitors, and staff
• Compassionate listening and presence
• Grief support
• Liaison with the patient's faith community, as appropriate
• Regular Catholic and Ecumenical services
• Sacramental ministry provided to Catholic patients, upon request
• Information regarding Advance Directives for Healthcare
• Pastoral and community-based ministry education programs

Related: Read about TriHealth's Mission and Values

Chaplains Available for Spiritual Needs

Good Samaritan Hospital Chapel

TriHealth is sensitive to the spiritual care needs of all religious backgrounds and provides an inclusive ministry to people of many different religious groups. Our chaplains are assigned to each nursing unit of both hospitals and are available to patients, family and staff. Chaplains are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure that spiritual care is available as needed.

Religious leaders are welcome to visit members of their faith communities, if requested by the patient and adhere to the hospital’s visitor policy. Upon request, pastoral care chaplains will contact your religious leader or faith community to inform them of your hospitalization or religious needs. Pastoral services for critical needs may also be provided at Good Samaritan Western Ridge and Bethesda Arrow Springs, TriHealth Rehabilitation Hospital, Good Samaritan Evendale Hospital, Bethesda Butler Hospital, and McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital.

Regular Worship Services

The chapels at Bethesda North and Good Samaritan hospitals hold regular worship services available to patients, family and staff. The chapels are open daily for prayer and meditation, and are often used for special events, prayer services, or to celebrate religious holidays. All services at Good Samaritan Hospital are televised on the hospital's closed-circuit television system, enabling patients to watch them from the comfort of their hospital bed.

Schedule of Services 

Bereavement Groups

TriHealth offers emotional and spiritual guidance for adults and children through grief support groups facilitated by Hospice of Cincinnati through the Goldstein Family Grief Center and Fernside Center for Children. To access Bereavement Care, please visit our web site here.

Education Programs

TriHealth offers both professional and community-based ministry education programs for those looking to gain more knowledge in spiritual guidance.

Clinical Pastoral Education

Good Samaritan offers a program of Clinical Pastoral Education accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. CPE is taken by seminary students preparing for ordained ministry, ordained clergy who desire continuing education in pastoral/spiritual care, and qualified lay persons who may desire the learning in self-reflection and pastoral care for ministry within their faith communities. Lay persons and clergy may also take CPE to discern a ministry vocation in chaplaincy, and CPE is the primary clinical training for those preparing for professional chaplaincy. Education requirements may be made by department’s faculty on a case-by-case basis. Minimal requirement is high school or GED diploma.

Course information:

• 400 hours for one unit of clinical pastoral education (CPE).
• Offered three times a year, during the spring, summer and fall
  • Spring Unit:  January through May (16 weeks, 27 hours per week)
  • Summer Unit:  June through July (10 weeks, 40 hours per week)
  • Fall Unit: September through December (16 weeks, 27 hours per week)
   
• Offers Level I and Level II units of CPE
• Not a residency; individual CPE units only
• $600 tuition per unit

For a CPE application or more information contact: 

Good Samaritan Hospital Pastoral Care
375 Dixmyth Ave.,
Cincinnati, Ohio 45220
(513) 862-2281

Or contact:

Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
1549 Clairmont Rd., Suite 103
Decatur GA, 30033
(404) 320-1472

*More detailed information regarding Clinical Pastoral Education can be found at www.acpe.edu.  

Volunteers Welcome

If you are a compassionate listener and desire to support the patients at TriHealth, there are volunteer opportunities to serve as a spiritual care volunteer or a Catholic Eucharistic Minister. The patients and staff truly appreciate your presence and support. Volunteering is open to all persons high school age or older. Hours are flexible. Mask wearing is mandated in patient areas.

If you are interested, please contact the Volunteer Services Office.
Phone: (513) 862-2368
Email: Volunteer@trihealth.com

Ministry Education Program

Bethesda North offers a community-based ministry education program for those who would like to learn how to be better caregivers and enhance their Stephen Ministry Programs in their community. Participants receive a certificate of completion at the end of the program and are eligible to volunteer in the pastoral care departments at Good Samaritan and Bethesda North. Course information:

• 1 Day weekend program that offers various topics on; Spiritual Assessment, Grief Care, Active Listening, Professional Pastoral Care Boundaries, End-Of-Life Issues, Crisis Intervention, Self-Care, Diverse Cultures and other ministerial topics.
• Offered at various times throughout the year.
• No prerequisites required — all are welcome
• No cost to participants
• Can be provided off-site or at your local church location.
• Contact Bethesda Pastoral Care at (513) 865-1175 or (513) 865-1315 for details and enrollment information.