Palliative Care Prayer Shawl Project at Montefiore Medical Center

About Palliative Care Prayer Shawl Project at Montefiore Medical Center:

Montefiore Medical Center is located in the Bronx, New York, its’ mission is to improve the health of our community, including our patients, our associates, the Bronx and beyond. Over one year ago as Chaplain for the Palliative Care Service I suggested implementing the Palliative Care Prayer Shawl Project with the goal of bringing comfort to our patients because they have been made with much love and prayer. One year later we have distributed 64 prayer shawls, made by nurses, social workers, a woman in Pennsylvania fulfilling her year of Mercy, volunteers in our Caregivers Support Centers and Healing Arts Departments, a local community group and myself. Our Palliative Care Service consults 3,000 patients a year between our three Bronx campuses and in addition 300 patients in our outpatient clinics. Currently, we have four women making the prayer shawls and several volunteers learning how to crochet, so that they can eventually make the prayer shawls. Our Palliative team members, doctors, nurse practitioners, and social workers request the shawls for the patients. We are in need of more crafters because of the growing amount of patients we care for.