Dear Clergy,
We hope the following information will be helpful to you during visits to our hospital. Your presence and care for those who are sick or injured is an important part of their healing and well-being. We value the care you bring, and we want to assist you in any way we can to facilitate your ministry.
Please consider becoming one of our on-call chaplains. These are weekly appointments running from Wednesday to Wednesday.
The Reverend Richard H. White
Chaplain and Director of Religious Ministries
Click one of the following headings for additional details:
About the Department of Religious Ministries
The Department of Religious Ministries is staffed by six chaplains, two of whom are full time. We have a full-time office coordinator, 14 volunteers and four field education students from Princeton Theological Seminary (three during the academic year and one during the summer).
Our office is located next to the Chapel of Light on the first floor of University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, One Plainsboro Road, Plainsboro, NJ 08536. Office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
You may contact us by phone at 609.853.6020. After 3:30 p.m., you may contact us through the hospital operator by calling 609.853.6500.
Chaplains are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Evening and weekend hours are supported by local clergy as volunteer on-call chaplains.
Our staff consists of the following members:
The Reverend Richard H. White -- Director
Chaplains:
The Reverend Cheryl Regis -- Princeton House
Rabbi David Wolf Silverman -- UMCPP
Sister Mary Soerensen, sfcc -- UMCPP
Rabbi Karen Bookman-Kaplan -- Hospice Program
The Reverend Ann Schoonover -- Hospice Program
Office Coordinator: Barbara Darvin
Hospital Identification Badge
To obtain a clergy identification badge, contact our Office Coordinator by phone at 609.853.6020 to schedule an appointment to have your picture taken. Appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
If you are new to our area, we would welcome the opportunity to offer you a tour of the medical center.
Visitation Lists
You may request a listing of hospitalized members of your congregation from our Office Coordinator at 609.853.6020. You will also find a "Clergy List" of patients in our departmental office on the first floor of University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro. An access code is available in the event the door is locked; please contact the Coordinator's Office for more information.
During nights and weekends, please call the hospital operator at 609.853.6500 for patient information.
The Department of Religious Ministries and You
Clergy Notifications. HIPPA regulations require patients to give their consent to have the hospital notify you of their admission. We will contact you as soon as we receive such requests. Please note that only those patients who have given their consent are listed on the religious census in our Coordinator's Office.
Chaplain Visits. In the event that you are unable to visit hospitalized members of your congregation, please contact us and one of our chaplains will visit on your behalf.
Community Educational Events. Staff chaplains are available to speak to your congregation or study group on a wide range of topics related to healing, wholeness and health. Topics include:
- Pastoral Care. The Department of Religious Ministries offers a Become a Compassionate Visitor training program for local churches, parishes and synagogues. It is intended for deacons, Stephen Ministers, or other congregational care or ministry teams who visit the sick.
- Advanced Directives. We support seminars on Advance Directives for Health Care, Planning Ahead, which can be tailored to the needs of your congregation.
- Mental Health/Addictions. Rev. White offers several different talks on mental health and chemical addictions, specifically how spirituality might support recovery and a healthier lifestyle.
- Older Adults. We offer a community presentation titled Hope - the Source of Eternal Strength, which is oriented toward older adult audiences.
To obtain more information about these programs, call us at 609.853.6020.
Pastoral Care Support
You are welcome to stop by our department at any time with questions and concerns related to your ministry. We welcome the opportunity to explore with you pastoral care issues, strategies and resources.