What is The Pneuma Center?

The Pneuma Center is a 501C3 charitable and religious not-for-profit founded by Rev. Dr. K. Llewellyn McGhee that trains and dispatches chaplains and other health professionals to provide spiritual care and chaplain services across the continuum of care.

Why did Dr. K start The Pneuma Center?

Dr. K began working toward a training curriculum for spiritual care after he and his wife, the Rev. Michelle M. McGhee, lost five babies to miscarriage. After deployment to Iraq, Dr. K lost nine people close to him and his family to include his mother who died in a roll-over car accident 15 days before his return to the states.

Why is Spiritual Care needed to be a part of Health Care?

The Joint Commission that accredits Health Care Organizations states that organizations should meet the holistic needs of their patients: physical, mental, and spiritual. Chaplains primarily provide spiritual care and are in many aspects of our community: hospital, military, hospice, universities, police, fire, rescue, etc.

What is the difference between Spiritual Health Care and Mental Health Care?

Spiritual Health Care, as I am defining it, deals with helping people find meaning and purpose in life, helping them have moral and ethical decisions and behavior, and helping improve their morale. Traditionally, mental health care does not deal with these same issues but with mental illness and disorders. Many times both spiritual care and mental care is looking at the same issues, but how the care is provided is determined by the care methodology.

Is Spiritual Care a violation of church and state?

The answer is NO. All aspects of our society deal with the free exercise of religion, but a violation would be the state trying to establish one religion.

What does it mean to be Spiritual?

To be Spiritual literally means "to breathe" or "to live." I go beyond this basic definition to say that being "spiritual" is the ways one finds meaning and purpose in life, to make moral decisions and to act ethically, and to have some level of morale.

What is Spiritual (Health) Care?

Spiritual Health Care is a systematic methodology of care to help people find meaning and purpose, to help them make moral decisions and act ethically, and care that improves morale.

Why is Spiritual Care needed in a Disaster?

Currently, there is not one model for providing Spiritual Care in Disaster across the nation. This is an attempt to give a model that is a health model and not a religious model by which chaplains and others can provide a standard of care (like in the medical, mental health fields, etc.).

What is a Standard of Care?

A Standard of Care is a written guideline that governs how care is provided.

Are there models for a Standard of Care for providing Spiritual Care across the Cont inuum of Care?

Currently, the models that exist are standards and not a standard of care and provide care only in one phase of care.

What is The Pneuma Center?

The Continuum of Care is the care given over the life of a person: from birth until death.

What target population most needs Spiritual Care?

Everyone needs spiritual care but critical populations need it most: homeless, poor, service-members, veterans, and their families, young and elderly people, etc.

What, in your opinion, is the best means of providing Spiritual Care across the Continuum of Care?

I think the Community Chaplain Program, with other care providers, can provide a holistic, consistent and systematic standard of care across all phases of a persons' life.

Why is there a need for a partnership between the community and government for providing this care?

Many times government has grants for anything that helps the community or the public. In order for healing to happen, there must be communication, cooperation, and collaboration between the community and the government.

Why is your model of Spiritual Care better than others?

My model is better because it is a health outreach model. Meaning, that care providers reach out to you (work, home, school, phone, etc.) to provide care instead of waiting for the client to come to a building. Secondly, it is based on a health model of people being tripartite beings: body, mind, and spirit. This is not a religious model. Thirdly, spiritual health, as I am defining it, is quantifiable and this model can be replicated.

For devising the curriculum for the Community Chaplain Program, I asked the question, "what courses would prepare me to be the best spiritual care provider over the continuum of care?" The following are the courses and the levels of certification that I thought would be critical over the continuum of care:

Community Chaplain (Level 1):

1. Pneumatology 101: Intro to Spiritual Care

2. World Religions

3. Thanatology: The Study of Death and Dying

Community Chaplain (Level 2):

4. Pneumatology 201: Interventions in Spiritual Care

5. Ethics: Facilitation to do "The Right Thing"

6. Preaching (Speaking) & Worship in a Pluralistic Environment

Community Chaplain (Level 3):

7. Pneumatology 301: Long-Term Spiritual Care

8. Gerontology: Study of Aging

9. Administration: The Heart of Chaplaincy