Five Years Later: Honoring the Role of ECS Chaplains During the Pandemic
Five years ago, the world changed overnight, and we began an extraordinary journey together.
Frontline healthcare workers were called heroes as ICU beds filled beyond capacity and families were forced to say their goodbyes through glass or by phone. Also on the frontline, ECS Utah chaplains were part of the interdisciplinary care team at the patient’s bedside, often standing in for loved ones whose own safety meant they couldn’t be there.
As part of our spiritual care services, chaplains held virtual hands with the dying, celebrated every patient who made it home, and honored those who did not.
Supporting Patients and Caregivers Through Crisis
What followed were months of exhaustion, lockdowns, social distancing, and fear surrounding this fast-spreading virus. Grief and burnout filled the air — but so did moments of resilience.
ECS chaplains supported not only patients and families, but also hospital caregivers facing impossible choices. Staff were stretched thin, expanding units, rationing ventilators, and even living in temporary housing to protect their families while continuing to care for others.
Keeping Spiritual Care and Education Going
While many chaplaincy education centers closed during this time, ECS chaplain staff and Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) students at St. Mark’s Hospital remained strong. Our team made sure that HCA partner hospitals received the care and support that was so desperately needed during those trying days.
Still Here — And Still Serving
Now, five years later, we remember. We mourn. We rejoice. And we look around to see an ECS Spiritual Care & Education Center and a team that has not only endured, but is flourishing.
The strength of those who kept going through the height of the pandemic remains with us — and continues to shape how we serve.
To Our Community: Thank You
To our ECS staff, students, alumni, hospital partners, and community supporters — thank you. Your dedication, compassion, and perseverance turned challenges into opportunities.
As we move forward, we will continue to uplift our community with the same spirit that carried us through.
— Karen Peña, ECS Executive Director
