Tea for the soul at our local hospital
Tea for the Soul is a program at the Yuma Regional Medical Center who provides cares for the medical staff when they feel down or stressed.
The program originated about 17 years ago. Their mission is to find ways to provide love and care for patients, families, and staff. The Supervisor Of Spiritual Care & Chaplain at YRMC, Cathleen Wolff, says they like to give people a little time out, “…to recharge their batteries and to love on them so they can go back to loving on our patients and our community.”
Tea for the Soul is run by the in house chaplains at the hospital, which has about ten on board ready to assist with compassion and prayer.
For the last ten years, Ingrid McCrory has been an intensive care unit nurse at YRMC. She says the chaplains are a blessing. “The hand blessing that they do I think is so powerful…they channel their energy and whatever faith you are they respect all faiths, their open like that.”
YRMC was one of the first hospitals in the country to spearhead this program, which has spread to other facilities in the nation. Benjamin Baron is also a chaplain at the hospital and has always been interested in spirituality and healing. “To me, it’s a matter of proving back to others what they so freely give so much of which is themselves.”
The chaplains stroll the hospital with a cart with snacks and prayer cards for healing. Wolff says the goodies are all purchased from the chaplains themselves out-of-pocket.
