The celebration of Spiritual Care Week provides an opportunity for chaplains and pastoral care counselors to be acknowledged for amazing services they provide within communities. Potomac Valley Hospital would like to recognize the volunteer clergy – Pastor Paul Allen and Pastor Curtis Crawford.
Both pastors currently minister in churches within the community. Pastor Allen, minister of Cornerstone Ministries in McCoole has been a volunteer with the hospital for over three years Pastor Crawford, minister at Piedmont Pentecostal Holiness Church in Piedmont, has been a volunteer with the hospital for four years.
“We are blessed to have such dedicated members of the community as part of family here at Potomac Valley Hospital,” says Volunteer Director, Debbie Shaw. “Our volunteer clergy members provide much needed support to the patients we see every day.”
Many times, for patients, spiritual care can be viewed as a part of a complete healthcare experience. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteer presence within the hospital has been scarce, as all volunteer activities had been put on paused out of concern for their safety. However, this did not stop our dedicated clergy members from caring for those inside the hospital. Since March, our volunteer clergy members, as well as members of the community take turns walking the hospital campus daily, praying for the safety of the hospital employees, as well as those affected with COVID-19.
“Seeing members of the community come to the hospital each and every day, thinking of others and praying for them is a great testament to the area we serve,” says Mark Boucot, President and CEO of Potomac Valley Hospital. “These individuals volunteer their time and it does not go unnoticed. We can’t thank you enough for the prayers for both our patients and our staff.”
Potomac Valley Hospital is a 25-bed critical access hospital in Keyser, West Virginia. The hospital serves the community of Mineral County, West Virginia and surrounding areas. PVH officially became a member of the West Virginia University Health System in 2014. PVH provides inpatient and outpatient care, including 24/7 Emergency Department services. PVH employs more than 250 healthcare professionals, including over 50 physicians, who are dedicated to our mission of striving to treat every patient like a member of our own family.