Being there: 24 hours with Pastoral Services at Hershey Medical Center

When they walk into a hospital room, some of them rest a hand over their heart to cover their ID badge.

That’s for the panic. Everyone has seen the same movie, after all. When someone with the word “chaplain” in their title arrives, it’s the end. A chaplain is the last person you want to see.

But at hospitals like Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, members of Pastoral Services do more than offer prayers for the dying. Their work is for the living. While they are often the keepers of the Medical Center’s grief, they are also comforters, messengers and finders of families. They are the heart and soul of the hospital.

This story covers a typical 24-hour span before COVID-19 turned their world upside down. For months, chaplains at Hershey Medical Center stayed out of rooms, offering their care virtually. Now, as the health system’s operations have evolved, they’re back.

At the Hershey Medical Center, doctors and nurses set the bones, treat the wounds and fight the illnesses.

Chaplains fill the gaps.

This special report covers 24 hours behind the scenes with members of the Pastoral Services team at Hershey Medical Center.