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1. It is our church's policy that anybody (active or
inactive member) who is affiliated with the Zion Iona United
Methodist Church will be visited at their request.
The pastor has never and will never turn
down an invitation to visit a sick or homebound person.
We urgently recommend to let the pastor know if a
visit is wanted, especially by those who are not regular attendees.
Call Pastor Frank at 304-9215.
Emergency, Hospital and Hospice Care Visits:
1. The new HIPPA Law
Because of the changes in the nationwide health care policy with
regard to patient's privacy protection rights (governed by the so called
HIPPA law) . . .
- Pastors no longer have the right to just drop in for
a visit UNLESS the patient specifically gives permission to his/her
pastor to visit.
- Pastors are no longer automatically informed by any
hospital (including the GSH) of their parishioner's hospitalization (you
will have to tell the hospital staff at entrance that you would like
them to contact your pastor)
2. Notifications by Hospital
Even if you tell the hospital staff that you would like them to inform
your pastor, it can take up to three days until that phone call is placed
by the volunteers at GSH (other hospitals do not even place calls).
If you are hospitalized on a Friday afternoon, for instance, the
volunteers at GSH won't call the pastor until Monday morning. Given the
shorter hospital stays these days, the notification may come too late. It
happens all the time!
What you MUST do if you would like to
get a pastoral visit in the hospital:
If you want to make sure that pastor can make
arrangements to visit you in the hospital you need to . . .
1. Let the hospital staff know (the administration or
your nurse) that pastor Frank Schaefer has permission to visit.
2. Call Pastor Frank at
304-9215 or ask a friend or family member to contact him on your behalf.
Home Visitation:
Pastor Frank has two levels of home visitation care:
1. Permanently home-bound church members
Pastor Frank visits permanently home-bound (nursing home
or home) church members once a month and makes sure that they are
administered communion every time we celebrate it in our church services.
If you know of a church member who is home-bound and
does not currently receive visits (please make sure that THEY would like
to be visited), please let Pastor Frank know at
304-9215.
2. Temporary home-bound church members
Pastor Frank will visit church members that cannot
attend church services on a temporary basis as needed. Unless they
have transitioned from the hospital to the home (in that case, pastor
knows about it), you need to call pastor to make arrangements for a visit:
please call Pastor Frank at 304-9215 or ask a
friend or family member to call on your behalf.
Other Visits:
Pastor Frank will also make pastoral care visits and
home crisis visits. Please let him know by calling
304-9215.
What Pastor Frank CANNOT do:
Pastor Frank cannot make hospital visits automatically when a
prayer request is shared via the email or phone chain. Again: the HIPPA
law prohibits pastor to visit unless the person let's the hospital and pastor know
(directly or through someone else) that they would like to be visited.
Please call Pastor Frank at 304-9215 or ask a friend
or family member to call on your behalf.
Pastor Frank's policy regarding inactive church
members:
Pastor Frank will not automatically call an inactive
church member who is mentioned in a prayer chain message. He will
need to be contacted by this member directly or indirectly (the request
has to be authorized by the inactive church member).
Pastor Frank's personal visitation policy with regard to
inactive church members is one of RESPECT -- if a church member is
inactive, pastor will respect and honor the distance this person has
created to the church and/or the pastor and will NOT breach the privacy
right of this person and contact him/her.
However, Pastor Frank WILL visit every inactive church member if he is invited to do so. Please call
304-9215 |
