May 20, 2019 – Health Care Chaplaincy Network (HCCN) recently announced that Eskenazi Health has successfully completed the three-step process to earn the Excellence in Spiritual Care Award.

The Excellence in Spiritual Care Award (ESCA) is a prestigious recognition of an organization’s excellence in spiritual care. According to ESCA, the award signifies that an organization is committed to addressing patients’ spiritual and religious needs through the best practices in spiritual care. The standards of excellence include: employing an interdisciplinary approach to spiritual care; engaging in quality improvement projects; and the strategic deployment of chaplaincy care resources.

“Institutions from coast to coast are working to enhance the spiritual care their patients receive,” said the Rev. Eric J. Hall, HCCN’s president and CEO. “Eskenazi Health is raising the bar to benefit their patients’ experience.”

The ESCA validates the excellence of spiritual care delivery within the Eskenazi Health Center for Spiritual Care & Education team and celebrates the service of its chaplains. There are only 12 Spiritual Care programs nationwide that are currently recognized with this designation.

Father Robert Lyons, MDiv, BCC, CPES, serves as manager, Eskenazi Health Center for Spiritual Care & Education and the Rev. Richard Cruse, ThM, BCC, is lead chaplain.

“Each and every member of our spiritual care team brings significant talents and gifts to the work we do at Eskenazi Health. We could not create the opportunities for spiritual care without their openness to others,” said Lyons. “As the face of spiritual care transforms, it was important that our team be formed by the best practices in the field. Our journey to receive the Excellence in Spiritual Care Award has both confirmed the work we have done, as well as identified the pathway forward to provide outstanding care to our patients, families, and staff members.”

HCCN is a nonprofit health care organization that helps people and families faced with the distress of illness and suffering to find spiritual comfort and meaning. HCCN provides clinical pastoral education, continuing professional education, and research on the effectiveness of chaplaincy care. For more information, visit www.healthcarechaplaincy.org or call 212.644.1111.

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CONTACT: Tom Surber
Phone: 317.880.4793
Cell: 317.402.9327
Pager: 317.310.5972
Email: thomas.surber@eskenazihealth.edu