ST. LOUIS - Mercy has been recognized by the Catholic Health Assembly for its effort to keep patients’ spiritual and emotional care as an essential part of their overall care. When Mercy created the COVID Care @ Home program during the pandemic, Mercy chaplains made sure spiritual support was part of the program, too.
For patients who were quarantined and often separated from their families, a spiritual “check-in” from a Mercy chaplain proved invaluable. Mercy chaplains Justin Martin and Cody Alley launched a program to screen patients across Mercy communities in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, with about 2,000 people asking to be contacted to discuss their personal distress during the pandemic.
Thanks to their efforts, the Mercy COVID Care @ Home Spiritual Care program is the 2023 recipient of CHA’s highest annual honor – the Achievement Citation. Read about Mercy's Spiritual Care program here.