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Our Team

• Rev. Kenan Habetler
• Rev. Dr. Charles Simms
• Rev. Nancy Kelly
• Rev. Anne Herndon
• Rev. Dr. Barbara Sands
• Rev. Chuck Braband
• Rev. David Berg

Spiritual Care

Anne Arundel Medical Center has a long tradition of responsiveness to the spiritual needs of individuals and families. If you are a patient, family member or friend of a patient, a Hospital Chaplain is available to provide for your spiritual and emotional needs. Your own clergyperson, faith community leader or spiritual counselor is always welcome in the hospital.

The approach of the team is a holistic approach — to support all aspects of a patient's care. and to expand offer spiritual support and services to AAMC patients, their families and AAMC staff members. Today, the program has blossomed to a team of representatives of various denominations. Their goal is to work with the patients wherever they may be in their spirituality journey in order to assist the healing process.

A Steadfast Presence

• Spiritual Care can be available on off hours – if there is a need please request this through your nurse.
• Chaplains make regular rounds in the various departments.
• Spiritual care providers respond to requests, referrals, and emergent situations.  

 Emotional and Spiritual Support

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

Religious Resources & Rituals

• Resources such as Bibles, rosaries, and Shabbat candles are provided upon request.
• TV channel 87 is free in all inpatient rooms, with programming that provides music and visuals for meditation and prayer.  
• Quiet places are available 24/7, including a Meditation Center on the main floor of the hospital and a Healing Garden just outside of that space.
• Baptisms, Blessings, Holy Communion, and Anointing of the Sick are available from our in-house staff or Protestant chaplains or in cooperation with St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church.
• Other rituals are available for special occasions.

Cooperation with Other Hospital and Community Caregivers

• Spiritual Care staff can assist with the completion of an Advance Directive, which includes the selection of a health care agent and communication of treatment preferences at the end of life.  Chaplains consult with patients, families, and staff regarding spiritual goals of care.
• Spiritual caregivers are trained to lend insight into religious and cultural diversity.  
•  Chaplains participate in ethics consultations and Care Conferences.
• Staff members engage in partnerships with the local community and hold a semiannual Clergy Breakfast for local clergy and lay ministers.

Team members serve as resources for hospitalized patients and family members during the time surrounding the death of a loved one, at the point of decision-making regarding artificial life support, and when patients are apprehensive about surgery or overwhelmed by illness. They baptize infants and adults, administer Holy Communion upon request and contact rabbis, priests and pastors when patients request them.

"We are committed to the continued development of our spiritual care program," said Kathy Whittaker, AAMC's manager for patient advocacy services. "We measure our quality of patient care by outcomes that include a patient's spiritual as well as physical well-being."
Each member of the Spiritual Care Team is highly trained in pastoral care and counseling above the basic seminary requirements. The Spiritual Care Office is located in the Hospital Pavilion on the first floor, next to the Meditation Center. To contact the Chaplain on duty, dial (443) 481-5120 and leave a voice message, or ask a nurse to order a consultation or contact a chaplain for you.

AAMC's Spiritual Care team is available on-site from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekends Saturdays and 1-6 pm on Sundays. A Team Member is available for emergency assistance 24 hours a day by paging through the hospital operator. The team offers Sunday services at Pathways, AAMC's alcohol and drug rehabilitation center on Riva Road in Annapolis.

Spiritual Care
Hospital Pavilion
Level One
(443) 481-5120