The margins

In my limited experience, the "General Hospital" is usually a place you don't want to go. It is certainly true of General Hospital here in San Francisco. It's on Potrero just a few blocks from our house, and it has this ominous feeling. Enormous brick buildings dominate the street for several minutes as you walk by. In the center of the brick buildings is a concrete building where I spent the day last Thursday. No, I didn't get hurt. I participated in a training for future chaplains at the hospital.

No one wants to go to General. You go there for two reasons: you were in a serious car accident or other traumatic incident that has put your body into a physical condition in which you need to be at a Trauma 1 facility, OR you need standard hospital care but can't go to another hospital (you have no insurance, are mentally ill, homeless, etc.) General takes anyone, which makes this particular hospital a gathering place for people truly on the margins. Some friends recently walked by and saw some mentally ill people in front of one of the brick buildings and thought, "That is where Jesus would be hanging out." Well, I'm certainly not Jesus but I am looking forward to spending more time at the hospital.

While sitting in hospital meeting rooms for hours upon hours and enjoying some truly disgusting and unhealthy hospital food, I dreamed about providing spiritual care for people who are truly on the margins of our society. At least in San Francisco, one does not need to be ordained as a minister to be a chaplain. For some of you reading this blog entry becoming a chaplain at a county or general hospital could be a real outlet for hopes of caring for people who are in lonely, poor and sick. I highly recommend at least thinking about it.