The Rev. John Mattern was appointed the first full-time chaplain dedicated to the community hospitals of Lansing, Mich.-based UM Health-Sparrow, according to an Aug. 11 health system news release shared with Becker’s.
Mr. Mattern started Aug. 10 and will split his time among UM Health-Sparrow Carson, Clinton, Eaton and Ionia, according to the release. The community hospitals previously reached out to local pastors when patients or staff requested spiritual support.
He most recently served as a staff chaplain at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, Mich., and was lead pastor at St. Johns Church of God in St. Johns, Mich., where he lives.
“Spiritual care is an important part of healing, and we are fortunate to have someone dedicated to supporting the emotional and spiritual needs of our patients, families and team members,” Linda Reetz, market president of community hospitals, said in the release.
All three of the system’s full-time chaplains are board-certified and interfaith, and the system also uses seven on-call chaplains. Chaplains spend roughly half their time counseling employees and are trained to advise patients on advance care planning.
UM Health-Sparrow is a nonprofit, community-owned and community-governed health system with more than 150 sites of care across mid-Michigan, according to its website.
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