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The Department of Bioethics at the Case Western Reserve University
School of Medicine has initiated the Clinical Ethics and Clergy
Project to aid patients and their families who wish to understand
and make difficult medical decisions within the context of their
religious beliefs and traditions.
Stuart Youngner
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Mark Aulisio
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Directed by Stuart Youngner, the Susan E. Watson Professor of
Biomedical Ethics and chair of the department of bioethics, and
Mark Aulisio, assistant professor at CWRU and director of the
clinical ethics program at MetroHealth Medical Center, the Clinical
Ethics and Clergy Project seeks to educate and empower local clergy
of diverse faiths.
Participants will learn about the law and hospital polices regarding
clinical ethics decisions such as the use of living wills, informed
consent for participation in research and legal distinctions concerning
life-sustaining medical treatment.
Clergy will undergo a series of classes, training sessions and
limited clinical experience and will attend an area-wide conference.
They will be instructed by the full-time clergy who are involved
with the pastoral care programs at St. Vincent Charity Hospital
and MetroHealth Medical Center, as well as those involved with
hospice care at the Hospice of the Western Reserve.
Three local foundations are funding the pilot project. The Sisters
of Charity Foundation of Cleveland has contributed $30,000 for
general support of this project, the St. Luke's Foundation of
Cleveland has contributed $28,815 for general programmatic support
and the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation has contributed $25,000
for marketing and salary support for the program's coordinator.
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