Spiritual Care Services

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Experiencing medical issues may often unsettle your emotional and spiritual well-being. PIH Health James P. Fitzgerald MD Spiritual Care Services provides compassionate spiritual and emotional support for all patients, their loved ones, and staff.

Our chaplains and volunteer pastoral visitors are part of the interdisciplinary team working to ensure comprehensive care that addresses physical and spiritual well-being, honoring a person’s culture, beliefs, and values. We aim to be supportive listeners, providing calm presence, pastoral support, and comfort to all people seeking our services – religious and non-religious alike.

Caring for You and Your Loved Ones

During your hospitalization or that of a loved one, we provide a supportive presence through careful listening to and learning from what you share about who you are, what matters to you, and how that relates to the care PIH Health Hospital is providing to you.

Call us for support when…

  • Facing the challenges of understanding medical decisions in light of your values and belief systems
  • Receiving a new diagnosis or news of recurrence of a serious and life-challenging illness
  • Feeling anxious or fearful about an upcoming surgery or procedure
  • Wanting to talk more about spiritual matters related to an Advance Directive or other end-of-life concerns
  • Wanting to speak with someone about spiritual and/or emotional matters (e.g., Where is God? Why is this happening?)
  • Seeking a written resource (e.g., Bible, sacred text, poem, etc.) or religious object (e.g., rosary, kippah, etc.) that provides comfort during your hospitalization
  • Wanting prayer, sacraments, and/or blessings (and/or help contacting local resources for these)
  • Seeking grief support after a death or loss

Clinical Pastoral Education

PIH Health serves as a training center for professional chaplains through its Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program. Chaplain interns are an important part of the comprehensive spiritual care that PIH Health seeks to offer patients, visitors and hospital staff. For more information about the CPE program or exploring a career as a chaplain, please call 562.698.0811 Ext. 12738 or visit our website.

Grief Support Group

Our six-week support group ‘Living with Loss’ is open to anyone in the community who has experienced the loss of a loved one. This group provides a safe and caring environment to learn about grief and loss, ways of coping, and being supported as you journey through a most difficult time.

The group is free of charge, but it is important that you register beforehand because space is limited. For more information or to preregister for meetings, call 562.698.0811 Ext. 12500

Contact Us

PIH Health Downey Hospital
562.904.5000 Ext. 25075
Hours: 9 am to 5 pm weekdays

PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital
213.482.2739
Hours: 9 am to 5 pm daily

PIH Health Whittier Hospital
562.698.0811 Ext. 12500 
Hours: 9 am to 5 pm daily

Hospice Services
562.947.3668

Palliative Care Services
562.967.2773

Supporting Spiritual Care

PIH Health Spiritual Care Services are available with the help of generous donations from many supporters. To make a donation:

  • Contact the PIH Health Foundation at 562.698.0811 Ext. 81520, or
  • Donate online at PIHHealth.org/Support and designate your gift to PIH Health James P. Fitzgerald MD Spiritual Care Services