In recent years, SSM Saint Mary’s Hospital-Madison has cut down on overhead notifications in hopes of creating a more peaceful, healing environment — but during the COVID-19 pandemic, two daily announcements have offered just that. Each morning and afternoon, the hospital’s chaplains broadcast a short prayer, maybe a minute or two, throughout the building.
When Sister Pam Moehring walks through the hospital’s corridors, staff sometimes stop to thank her for the prayer. This small routine is one of many changes hospitals have made to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic, as chaplains like Moehring have adapted to calling instead of visiting rooms, distancing herself from patients and not being able to hold their hands.