Support to cope with the stress of illness
Hospital chaplains are theologically trained and endorsed to work in inter-religious healthcare settings. Many people request a chaplain visit when they need spiritual or emotional support, if they have received bad news or are facing difficult choices, or want to talk to someone about their beliefs.
At Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, Chaplain Kirsty De Pree visits patients of all faiths, spiritual or philosophical beliefs to help them cope with the stress of illness. She is available to listen to your unique story and provide support through the challenges you are facing.
De Pree completed two units of clinical pastoral education at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and a residency at Covenant Health in Michigan. She served as an interfaith chaplain at the University of Vermont Medical Center in palliative care, hematology, and oncology beginning in 2023. Prior to that, she was Interim Pastor at the West Lebanon Congregational Church in Lebanon and also served congregations in New Jersey, New York, and Michigan. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and is board-certified by the Association of Professional Chaplains.
Even people who do not think of themselves as religious often find they feel strengthened and comforted by personal attention to their spiritual needs. If you would like to see the chaplain, please tell your care management team.
Spiritual services include
- Spiritual and emotional support
- Support through experiences of pain, suffering, loss, and existential stress
- Help coping with treatment
- Guidance in decision making for treatment options, transition concerns, or end-of-life choices
- Grief and support services
- Requests for contact with clergy of specific religious affiliation
- Crisis care
- Staff support
- Isolation, loneliness, lacking support
- Ritual support/prayer
- Complex family dynamics
- New diagnosis
Chaplain hours at APD
Tuesdays 8 am to 4:30 pm
Thursday 8 am to 4:30 pm
Please email Kirsty De Pree at Kirsty.E.De.Pree@hitchcock.org