[ RELIGION ]
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Staffers and patients of the Hawaii State Hospital came together for hula during a recent program hosted by the hospital chaplaincy. Dancers included clinical psychologist Michi Wong, left, psychiatric technician Debbie Silva, patient Caroline Muhlestein and registered nurse Beatrice King.
Faith has role
at State HospitalVolunteers from different
faiths offer patients spirituality
"God gives us the gift of hope," said the visiting preacher to a recent afternoon gathering at Hawaii State Hospital.
But if hope is missing, he said, it may be best to see a doctor before seeking an answer from a minister.
The message reflecting compatibility between religion and medicine came from Honolulu Catholic Bishop Francis DiLorenzo as he spoke to 60 patients and employees at the Kaneohe facility for people with mental and emotional disorders. His talk on hope inaugurated a series on "spiritual values central to our healing and well-being."
Offering spirituality in hospital residents' rehabilitation regime is the full-time job of the Rev. Dave Edwards, the hospital chaplain for the past three years.
"We recognize the value of spirituality in the healing process," Edwards said.
An ordained Methodist minister who has 20 years in hospital chaplaincy, Edwards is the successor of chaplains who have served at the institution for more than 30 years. He likes to quote the advice of the Rev. Kikuo Matsukawa, who retired after 22 years as chaplain: "Just love the folks."
Taped to the window of the chaplaincy office are the name tags of a score of volunteers from different denominations and disciplines, a testimony to the ecumenical nature of faith-based servicesat the government facility. The mix of church and state is only occasionally questioned, Edwards said, and his answer is that "the clients have a right to their religious practice."
Weekly activities on the "Spiritual Care" schedule include an interfaith service each Sunday evening, Bible studies and Buddhist-rooted "insight meditation" twice a week and holistic healing sessions three days each week. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries lead classes on Wednesdays. Priests from Holy Trinity Church in Honolulu say a Catholic Mass once a month, and former Spiritual Life Center director Nancy Conley leads an Episcopal service monthly.
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii State Hospital patient Marcella Bauer had a good time speaking Italian with Bishop Francis DiLorenzo on Tuesday.
Meditation provides a way to stand back from personal suffering, Buddhist Greg Pai told 18 participants at the Thursday afternoon session. People may not have chosen to be at the hospital, but they can choose to find the space within themselves, Pai said.
"You may find that this could be a time that is good for me," he said.
Edwards said: "My job is to help the clients in their own personal journey. We will bring in whatever resources are needed."
Edwards is an employee of Pacific Health Ministry, which is contracted to provide chaplains for several island hospitals. A key precept in hospital chaplaincy is that proselytizing -- seeking converts for a particular church -- is not acceptable.
The spiritual component in rehabilitation has the endorsement of medical professionals.
"Obviously a spiritual approach will tap into the basic need to belong and the need for meaning in life," said Dirk Elting, chief of psychology at the hospital. "I would encourage it in anybody that is interested, but I wouldn't push it.
"Mental illness prevents people from learning what helps them succeed in the world. There are two underlying things that really matter, and religious communities can provide both in a very useful and successful way. One is to have good social connections that are emotionally based -- family and friends. The other thing that seems to matter is meaning in your life -- a job, volunteer work, more than just mere existence," Elting said.
The informal Tuesday program at the auditorium, which doubles as Wailele Chapel, was enlivened by dances by the halau of patients and employees.
"Listen to a voice and you hear a prayer, listen to a sound and you hear a song" were the sentiments they sketched in the air from "For a Peaceful World."
Guitarist Leigh Case drew participation from the crowd as he sang familiar hymns "Kanaka Wai Wai" and "Iesu No Ke Kahuhipa." Case, who has been the chapel musician since he was drafted for a service three years ago, is an avid participant in Project Pure Light, a monthly ocean sports outreach program hosted by Kailua Community Church for a variety of disabled people.
"Hope is the fuel that drives us, to get us through the day," DiLorenzo told the residents. "A lot of people throughout the world don't feel hope-filled. We may be in a mood that is depressed, that we are not interested in our lives, that we don't take pleasure in our lives.
"Why you experience a sense of hopelessness, it may have nothing to do with religion. Medical problems can interfere with our religious lives. When you feel a sense of hopelessness, you may want to check in with your physician. It can be associated with emotional well-being," DiLorenzo said.
"Some will say, 'Why did God do this to me?'" said the leader of island Catholics. "We believe God doesn't do it to you. We don't know why there are chemical imbalances."
The bishop told the audience that ministers need to separate their role from that of health care professionals.
"As pastors, a lot of people come knocking on our doors with questions better explained in science," he said. "Can religion and science work together? There is no question that they can. Most mainline religions want to work with health care professionals on behalf of patients."
Hospital administrator Paul Guggenheim said the bishop's focus on hope matched the goals of the hospital.
"Mental health care is moving to a recovery model, with empowerment of the patients who take responsibility for their own recovery," he said. "The focus is predicated on the patients' expectations and hope for the future."
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State Hospital asks churches
to help patients after release
Holiday visits with music and refreshments are all very well, but the chaplaincy program at Hawaii State Hospital is seeking deeper commitment from religious organizations to support people before and after their release from the hospital.
A meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at Keolumana United Methodist Church, 1425 Keolu Drive, Kailua, to provide information to interested congregations and volunteers.
"We will offer training for the local faith community to be welcoming to people with chronic mental illness and their families," said hospital chaplain Dave Edwards.
He said the Pacific Health Ministry is seeking a grant to establish the program intended to "teach folks how to be a non-judgmental, supportive friend."
"Being a case worker is not their job," he said.
Edwards said he hopes to develop a network of faith organizations to "help clients return to the community and build on their strengths."
"The statistic is that one family in five has chronic mental illness," Edwards said. "It's not a matter of helping the people 'out there,' but members of our own congregation, as well."
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