News
Beebe Medical Center Chaplain Earns Board Certification
02/17/11
Beebe Medical Center Chaplain Keith Goheen has been credentialed as a Board Certified Chaplain by the Association of Professional Chaplains.
Members of the Association focus on effective spiritual care within institutional settings. Certification means that Chaplain Goheen has met the highest national standards for professionalism by demonstrating years of advanced education, training and experience. The certification recognizes his skill in supporting people of diverse backgrounds, cultures and religions. By accepting certification, Chaplain Goheen agrees to a comprehensive code of ethics grounded in the values that honor the dignity for all persons, promote justice and equality, and respect the diversities amid the hospital's inclusive mission.
This is an important accomplishment and we are extremely proud of Keith, says Ellen Tolbert, Director of Patient Relations and Case Management for Beebe Medical Center. This certification represents Keith's hard work, commitment to his profession and to the patients and staff at Beebe Medical Center.
Chaplain Goheen said the education and training required as part of the certification process has been especially helpful for his role in a hospital setting where he provides emotional and spiritual support to patients, their families and the staff who care for the patients.
We need to understand patients in the contexts of their unique religious and spiritual histories so that we can give them the support that they need, he says.
Chaplain Goheen joined Beebe Medical Center full-time as the staff chaplain in 2005. His responsibilities include leadership of the chaplaincy team, including 24-hour emergency pastoral care coverage for Beebe patients, their families, and Beebe staff members. He also coordinates the Pastoral Visitors Program, assisting local religious groups in providing religious support to their members, and maintains a network of relationships with more than 100 area religious leaders. Among his other duties, Chaplain Goheen co-chairs the hospital's Bioethics Committee. In 2006, the Association of Professional Chaplains accepted him as a member and granted him associate status.
Beebe Medical Center is a not-for-profit community medical center with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health with the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit us online at www.beebemed.org
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