The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center is offering an exciting new telehealth program that is different than what is traditionally defined as telehealth. Tele-chaplaincy services are now available for veterans.

Through tele-chaplaincy, Charleston VAMC chaplains meet with veterans through secure video conference. Prior to offering chaplain services in this way, veterans who receive care at the six community-based outpatient clinics operated by Charleston VA had no local access to VA chaplains and could only have appointments when they traveled to the medical center in Charleston. The outpatient clinics are located along the coast between Hinesville, Georgia and Myrtle Beach. The tele-chaplaincy program was created out of an expressed need by veterans in these outlying communities to have broader access to chaplain services. Charleston VAMC is currently one of only a handful of VAMC’s throughout the country that offer tele-chaplaincy services.

“Our tele-chaplaincy services are an example of how we go above and beyond to care for our veterans beyond traditional clinical care,” said acting medical center director & CEO Ronnie Smith. “We listen to feedback from our veterans and incorporate it into the care options we offer.”

Charleston VA currently has chaplains co-facilitating two Moral Injury groups via secure video conference, alongside a mental health provider — one group is located in Hinesville, Ga. and the other in Savannah, Ga. The Chaplain is located in Charleston at the medical center and the group and mental health professional are located off-site in the community at a VA clinic. In these groups, the chaplain provides spiritual guidance on how to find healing and move forward on matters related to difficult decisions that were made while in the service, often in combat, that often conflict with the Veteran’s personal moral code.

Charleston VAMC continues to expand tele-chaplaincy services and plan to add one-on-one patient-led discussions with chaplains in a virtual “chaplain clinic.” There will be future opportunities for veterans to access these services from their home, like the already offered telemental health treatment care options.