Our mission is to offer competent, professional and compassionate spiritual care to patients, residents, family, visitors and associates. Thompson Health’s Spiritual Care department understands that healing and wholeness are matters of the mind, body and spirit working together. In our commitment to serve the needs of the whole person, we define spirituality in the broadest and most universal terms possible: that which gives meaning or purpose and belonging or connection to each person. In this light, we seek to support each person in a way that is meaningful and helpful. We believe that spirituality can be valuable at times of crisis, thanksgiving and celebration as well as during transition. At Thompson we know that each person is different and we seek to honor those differences.
Spiritual Care at Thompson includes:
- A professionally trained Chaplain available for spiritual support, including conversations surrounding goals of care, processing transitions and impact of next steps related to one’s journey
- An interfaith chapel
- Grief support
- Chapel services throughout the year
- Prayer before surgery
- Administration of sacraments as well as facilitation of practices for celebration, mourning or healing
- Contacting the patient’s faith community or clergy upon request
- Compassion partner volunteers who are present for companionship, conversation, and prayer
- Ongoing spiritual care for our residents at the M.M. Ewing Continuing Care Center, Clark Meadows, and Ferris Hills at West Lake
Meet our Chaplain
Janice Lum, M.Div., RN, ORDM, Manager of Spiritual Care/Chaplain
Rev. Lum is an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. She has ecclesiastical endorsement to serve as a chaplain globally. She formerly practiced as a registered nurse, and has served in pastoral ministry for over 20 years. She began her work in chaplaincy 10 years ago. At Thompson, she is overseeing compassion partners who meet with hospital patients, long-term care residents, family members and staff members. She received clinical pastoral education at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and enjoyed the Essentials of Palliative Care Chaplaincy course at California State University’s Shiley Institute for Palliative Care. She received her master’s of divinity from Northeastern Seminary in May of 2022, and she considers herself a lifelong learner pursuing studies in spiritual direction, theology and further clinical pastoral education opportunities.
She can be reached at Janice_Lum@URMC.Rochester.edu, or by calling the Spiritual Care office at (585) 396-6486.
The Chapel
The interfaith chapel is next to the hospital's main lobby. The chapel, open day and night for anyone who wishes to use it, offers a place for prayer, meditation and reflection.
Volunteer Opportunities
We also provide the opportunity for volunteers to assist patients and residents as Compassion Partners at Thompson Health. For more information on volunteering within the Spiritual Care Department at Thompson go to our Volunteer Page or contact the Spiritual Care office at (585) 396-6486 or the Volunteer Office at (585) 396-6660.
If you are in need of spiritual care or are interested in the Compassion Partner program please call the Spiritual Care office at 585-396-6486.