Mountain West Medical Center has healthcare specialists who diagnose and care for patients.
The hospital also features a chaplain who is available for patients, their families and staff.
“Patients and their families need someone to witness what they are experiencing,” said Irene Huntsman, chaplain at MWMC. “It is our belief that if a patient is having a difficult time and they don’t have someone to hear them and let them talk, they feel stuck. They need to move past this. Chaplains work to be a representative of God in this space and help sustain them and their families.”
Huntsman is specifically trained to help families when a loved one dies. She helps families complete paperwork, start funeral plans and to settle other important matters.
“There are things you need to do in a short amount of time,” she said.
Huntsman earned a master’s degree in theology, with a clinical pastoral education from St. Mark’s Hospital that required 1,600 hours of work. Previously she earned an MBA. She has been a chaplain for five years and has been at MWMC for 1 1/2 years.
In addition to work at MWMC, the Tooele resident also serves as a chaplain at Jordan Valley Hospital, Jordan Valley West Hospital, and Mountain Point Medical Center in Lehi.
“I’m on contract for 32 hours work at all of the hospitals combined, but I’m on call 100 hours a week,” she said.
Huntsman said she is LDS, but hospitals require chaplains to provide help for all in need and her work is multi-faith oriented.
“It’s not about our faith or denomination, it’s about the patient’s needs,” she said. “The chaplains I know describe themselves as Christians. There is a lot of cultural and religious diversity in what we do and we honor each person’s beliefs.”
Huntsman said the most frequent thing hospitals call her for are trauma situations where people just need somebody to listen. For example, last week she was with a patient for nearly two hours who was struggling with anxiety. The chaplain listened intently to the patient’s concerns and about their faith.
Huntsman is also notified when a patient passes away.
“The hospital calls me anytime someone dies,” she said. “I talk with medical examiners, Intermountain Donor Services, and help the family decide on a funeral home because it has to happen pretty quickly.”
She added that she can go a couple of months and not get any calls from one of the hospitals.
“But I was called here (MWMC) three times last month for deaths,” she said.
Huntsman said infant deaths are extremely difficult.
“There is a healthy way and an unhealthy way in handling grief,” she said. “Men usually shut down and don’t want to talk. It can also cause friction between the husband and wife because they each grieve in a certain way. They both need to talk and realize they are both suffering, but only differently. Sometimes one person will become very angry.”
Huntsman indicated a chaplain’s work can be emotionally draining.
“We have chaplain groups and it is recommended that chaplains have therapists,” Huntsman said. “I’ve spent tons of time crying in my car. At one time I witnessed six deaths in a 10-day period. You have to be mindful and take care of yourself. You need to take care of yourself spiritually.”
Although emotionally challenging at times, chaplain service can be rewarding.
“Most chaplains feel like it is a calling from God and we have the opportunity to be with people in that space when the spiritual world is close,” Huntsman said. “It is a sacred space and time to be with families. They are suffering and we have the training and background and experience to be with them during this sacred time.”