By John Dujay Patients at Whitby Psychiatrie Hospital have enjoyed the ser- vices of a full time pastor on sit for 45 years. . Rev. Markus Lise is -one ofIltwo pastors who spends most of his time in building 12 administer- ing spiritual care. Rev. Grant S hwartz is the other one and is the director.of the pastoral care unit. Before 1949, patients always had informal visits from their minister, priest or rabbi. Howe- ver, Lise says, it became "in- creasingly significant for some- body to come into the hospital" on a permanent basis. Lise has been in his present osition since 1986. Previously, e was a parish minister for 15 years with the Christian Refor- med Church, which is an offshoot of the Reformed Church of America that was formed in the 1500s when American pilgrims broke from Europe. The Chris- tian Reformed C urch was for- med in the 1900s in Canada. Today, says Lise, pastoral care has "become a vor integral part of the hospital." They have evol- ved from being spiritual advisors to being part of the. healing process. Pastors are involved in regular meetings to discuss each patient's proFess. The ebaplains have regular chats with patients.· SaysLise, we like to "be there for them." Chaplains also get involved in Lise describes his work as "broadening' to the soul. He especially likes the interaction with the other faiths which in- clude Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and other Protestant faiths. Last year, the pastoral care group made 2,531 contacts with patients, both in and out. There were 250 services performed and even three funerals. The total attendance at these services were 4,066 persons. Lise sees the need for more full-time chaplains. However, with budget cutbacks, he sees his group as eing one of the vulner- able ones. In the future, pastoral care may be moved -back into the community where operations may be based. As well, there be more patients discharged and they will need therapy. 'Where wilrthey go?" he asks. Rev. Lise hopes to continue pro- viding counselling to troubled souls if his role changes. "If the hospitals cut us back, we'll go out (into the com- munity),» he says. It will up to the chaplains to start knocking on the doors of their arishioners asking, "How mue can you cough up?" for funding pastoral care. Rev. Lise says he has been asked several times if he would. consider going back into his par- ish. "Not for a million dollars," is bis spirited reply. Patients have a'voice' By John Dujay For John Dick, the patient council has been a blessing. Before it was started, the for- mer patient of Whitb Pschi- atrie Hospital was e at home. "The biggest decision I was making was what channel to watch (on television)," he says. Today he is the chair of the council that was formed in May of this year when a group of about 75 in-patients, out- patients and ex-patients from psychiatrie institutions got together to elect a board of 12 members. The council is made up of community representatives from the WPH cathment area, which includes all of Durham and York regions, as well as Metro Toronto east of Yonge Street and Victoria County. They have the services of one staff resource person and two art-time staff members who ave their office in the hospital and provide clerical work With the impetus of the health ministry, the group became a "voice at the table, says Dick. They discuss and deal with issues of patients'· rihts. Dick says they focus on the stuff that the advocate can't deal with." They try to ask "what best would suit the consumer outside the hospital," says Dick. He says he and other patients would prefer to be known as consumers/ survivors. As to be expected, the current opular topie for'discussion has gen the budget cutbacks that were announced by the health ministry. Dick says that there is a com- mon myth that patients have to submit to whatever treatment their doctor prescribes. This is untrue, he says. "You don't have to take medi- cation" if you don't want to, he stresses. Patients are consumers, he says, who have a right to refuse therapy if they don't like it. In the past, Dick says he has been told that if he didn't submit to what he was told, he would be committed. Later, he found out that it was a lie. It is instances such as these that illustrate the need for · a patient council, he says. Ai has not been rosy with the council. There has been some resistance. "There are certain people that agree with us, and certain people that don't agree with us," he says of the struggle to be heard. He has received some positive feedback from other committees. They are envious of the dis- cipline that has been displayed at patient council meetings. "It's worked out really well,»he says. Each month Dick spends a lot of time goin gto various nieet- ings. Some of the committees he sits on include the planning com- mittee, the nursing committee and the 75th anniversary com- mittee. He gets paid $15 for each meeting he attends plus travel expenses, and he estimates that he spends about 100 hours each month on council business. Dick was born in Vancouver in 1959 and was sexually abused as a child. Through the years he spent time in various institu- tions, including WPH. "I was in the revolving door syndrome," he says of the con- stant in and out treatment that he experienced. Then when he was released, he found "there was nothing in the community" that would continue his care. The council is also working to help patients who are living outside the hospital set- ting. Dick is extremely grateful for the patient council. He says the self- elp and empowerment aspects are very therapeutie and hol him better, cope with his ,prolems. Congratulations WMHC for 75 Years of Caring. Al the'best for the future. At TERN GRAPHICS we also take great care of our customers. Whether it is creative designing, typesetting, producing artwork or finished printed material, we always strive to give our clients the best attention and quality. Tern Graphics 767 KING STREET W., OSHAWA (905) 576-3398 Chaplains ald in healing I. such physical activities as bad- minton,birdwatchin or just tak- ing walks around t e grounds. But they don't let the patients forget what their primary fune- tion is. «We strive to qualify our ïre- sence in a spiritual capacity, he says. And they like to get atients to help themselves. Rev. Lise expIains that although it would be easy for chaplains to run around endlessly performing errands, "We try to help them find their own cigarettes or money." He says this helps them heal on their own. Often ho gets questions such as "Why is God punishing me?» His response is that God cares for them and cries with them when they are going through pain. God is not the judgmental magie man that he is sometimes made out to be. "Sometimes it sort of shakes them up," he says of the pro- found lessons they learn. Lise has become an important liaison with the-community. He says it has provided immediate benefits, because he speaks with residents of the community, and they have gone back to WPH to help out as volunteers. He is hap with his 'ob. What he sayshelikes best atout it is "The satisfaction and rewards of working with people who are aware of the problems and diffi-' culty they have." Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, October 19. 1994, Page 25 Congratulations to Whitby Psychiatric Hospital on occasion of their ;th anniversr DURHAM REGION Gary Herrema, Chairman ITYCORFH EC JFeIIRWUS Co HOSPITAL ANNIVERSARY fromWhitby's 'Comnunity Theatre 251H ANNIVERSARY