Center to Advance Palliative Care

We have an annual memorial service at which we read the names of every patient that died on the unit in the past 1.5 years (~350 names) plus a few that we remember every year since we opened. For some staff this is an important catharsis. The staff that hate the 'kumba-ya' stuff (and we have plenty who do) simply do not have to come or participate. Others that appreciate it help read the names. The ritual around the reading changes each year (candles, stones in water, etc...)


We are firm believers in frequent informal check-ins with staff. My chaplain position was specifically written with lots of room for this kind of spontaneous staff support. Then we also have weekly clinical didactics that can be used to deconstruct heavy cases and get feedback.

With the current economic climate, staff support has been a larger issue than usual. Many are seeing their friends and family lose their jobs which is straining their usual resiliency levels.


Hope this helps!

Tim Ford
Palliative Chaplain
VCU Massey Cancer Center