Hospital chaplain continues his mission to serve on front line
Each morning starts with a huddle.
Pearland resident Ken Carlson, director of mission and spiritual care at Baylor St. Luke’s, gathers with chaplains on staff in prayer. They focus on their missions for the day, and discuss the issues and obstacles they will face.
These days, to practice social distancing, the group stretches out down a hall. They speak loudly through masks.
And the chaplains ring a bell and say a prayer for each patient who has died the day before.
“Then we start our day taking care of people,” Carlson said. “It’s from the broom pusher to the brain surgeon and everyone in between. We want to take care of everyone.”
In the battleground that has formed at the hospital, nurses, doctors and staff fight the coronavirus pandemic. Hospital chaplains are especially busy during this time – soldiering alongside healthcare workers, providing comfort for them, as well as emotional support to patients.
Who better to lead the way than someone who has been in the war zone before?
Carlson, who has served in the military for 20 years, can’t help but see the parallels.
“It’s just in a different uniform this time,” he said. “I don’t wear camo anymore. But I see the same attitude of care, dedication and excellence.”
Carlson grew up in Park Forest, a town south of Chicago, originally a planned community for veterans returning from World War II. His father Ray Carlson served in the U.S. Air Force.
“He was an inspiration to me,” Carlson said. “I always had an interest in the military since I was a little kid.”
Growing up, he also dreamed of joining the police force or the ministry. His career would end up touching on all three worlds.
At age 17, Carlson joined the military. “I wanted to grow up and see the world,” he said. “And I did.”
When he returned, he enrolled in Niles College Seminary of Loyola University and then earned a master’s of divinity at University of St. Mary of the Lake, also in Illinois.
Carlson spent the next four years as a pastor in the Archdiocese of Chicago. His transition to becoming a chaplain was serendipitous. When he
walked down the street to check on a fire, he learned that members of the police force could use his help.
“There’s a lot of stress and anxiety that goes along with the job of any first responder,” Carlson said. “There are folks who are really focused on taking care of others – and that doesn’t always include taking care of themselves.”
His role became helping police officers step back and spend time on their own emotional, spiritual and mental health.
Then, 9/11 occurred. Carlson was sitting in a cemetery, having just presided over a funeral, while he listened to the radio reports from New York.
“I knew there would be a need for chaplains,” he said. “If I could have signed some papers and flown out that day, I would have. I had an overwhelming desire to be where I needed to be.”
First he had to go to Fort Hood for basic training to become a U.S. Army Chaplain.
“Chaplains are still soldiers,” he said. “The only difference is we don’t carry a weapon.”
Carlson was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and
Korea multiple times over the next 11 years. He also joined several convoys.
“Soldiers like a chaplain to get into their vehicle,” he said. “You’re there to support them, to encourage them and help them refocus.”
Carlson was serving in Afghanistan when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston. Shortly thereafter, he interviewed for a position at Baylor St. Luke’s, even though he’d never visited Houston. He was immediately hired, and moved to the city.
Carlson felt like the shift to the medical field made sense. In his role with the U.S. Army, he was guiding junior chaplains to help soldiers — assisting them in self-care so they could better help others.
At the hospital, he vowed to do the same for the chaplains on his staff. “It’s the same skill set,” he said.
Mang Tiak, Carlson’s senior staff chaplain, said she was nervous to first meet him. “If he wasn’t working at a hospital before he came, what will he be like?” she wondered.
Tiak said his past knowhow dovetailed perfectly in his current position.
“Even though the setting may be different, the people he’s dealing with are the same,” she said. “They’re people in crisis. He also brings a rich interfaith experience. I feel blessed to work with him.”
Tiak admires the way Carlson puts his staff first. “And he wants us to take care of ourselves,” she said. “He really works to make sure that we are well-taken care of, emotionally, spiritually and physically.”
She said the anxiety and stress level is high for healthcare workers and their chaplains.
Since the coronavirus hit, that stress has only increased; Carlson sees a closer comparison between hospital staffers’ roles and those of members of the military than ever.
Hospital staff toiled day and night, taking care of patients. They also became caregivers, since visitors were strictly limited.
“And the work doesn’t come to an end,” Carlson said. “It just keeps going. We as chaplains are here to take care of them so they don’t burn out.”
The pandemic has caused chaplains to reassess and expand their efforts. For instance, Carlson worked with the hospital to create a spa-like staff retreat on an empty patient floor.
“Now when you walk off the elevator, there are soft lights,” he said.
Aromatherapy diffusers also create an environment of comfort. There are towels, foot massage machines and fruit-infused water in a dispenser. Hotels donated slippers. Doctors and nurses have a place of respite, to relax before going home or returning to a shift.
Chaplains provide staff with tea carts, where they can grab a cup of coffee or tea and set up some oneto-one time with a chaplain or fill out a prayer request.
Recently, the chaplains brought cookies and bottles of water to hospital staff. They’ve served them sandwiches and passed out thank you cards.
“It’s our way to say they’re important,” Carlson said. “We want to take care of them, while they’re taking care of others.”
Carlson believes that he has a unique advantage, because of his training with the military.
“Going to war a number of times prepared me for being here,” he said. “When you go to war, you learn how to handle stress and tragedy.”
Carlson had learned to stay calm while navigating uncertainty.
“It’s allowed me to give steady guidance to staff,” he said. “We’re in this together. We’re going to get through this together.”
Each day at the hospital, Carlson assures his chaplains about their important role during the pandemic.
“What you’re doing is effective,” he tells them. “We’re going to be able to touch lives.”
Carlson is now brainstorming how to create a resiliency center for staff members.
“We’re looking for different ways to take care of them,” he said. “How can we develop this? And what can we do immediately and in the near future?”
First, Carlson plans to build a virtual center, a website with resources for staff. Eventually, he hopes to add more features and create a physical space. Carlson explained that resiliency is essential while facing a crisis.
“Stress is part of life,” he said. “Knowing how to face it, how to work your way through it is the important piece. And that’s where we can help.”
First responders, soldiers and health care workers have a lot in common, Carlson explained. He’s helped them all become more resilient as they march into crises to help others. And the chaplains on staff are shouldering their own share of grief, stress and anxiety during this time.
“I’m here for each and every one of them, to support them, to make sure they’re a cohesive unit,” Carlson said. “They come and sit down in my office almost every day. They want to talk. It’s cathartic.”