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WHY PASTOR
ELAINE
HAS LEFT THE
IWK BUILDING
BY A. FRANK GRUNT
PASTOR ELAINE WALCOTT IS A BLACK AND A PREACHER. SHE’S
BEEN BLACK ALL HER LIFE. SHE HAS BEEN AN ORDAINED MINISTER
FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS. GOING BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER RAISING
HER TWO BOYS.
Raised Baptist in Lincolnville, Guysborough Co., the oldest of 10
children, she is a proud graduate, as they say, of the Atlantic School
of Theology, and is a firm believer in ecumenical unity. She is also an
ardent support of gay rights, and is routinely recognized by the local
gay community for her efforts.
Equally important is that she was let go as part of the IWK Spiritual
Health Team on March 31, the end of their fiscal year.
It is Rev. Elaine’s, (by the way, my own spiritual adviser and Vice
Regal Garden Party date) understanding that “spiritual care at the
IWK” is currently running a deficit of $25,000 a year.
I don’t know how you put a figure on “spiritual care” when you are
dealing with sick and dying children, and their parents, brothers and sisters,
but if I ever get to the other place (fat chance! — ed.) I will be sure
to ask the Big Fellah just what to look for in that empirical question.
Rev. Elaine was employed as a chaplain with the IWK Spiritual Health
Team on a casual basis from November 16, 2007 through March 22,
2010.
In recent months, she worked primarily on the intensive care unit.
Elaine’s departure culls the SCT to two full-time members: Glenn
Breen, the co-ordinating chaplin, and Colleen Quinn, who is paid by
the local Roman Catholic Diocese.
Glenn Breen described Elaine as an “honest and caring person,”
and in his letter of reference wrote:
“Elaine possesses excellent crisis management skills. Much of her
IWK ministry involved journeying with patients and families during times
of life threatening crisis and end-of-life situations. She is a capable
and effective mediator in situations where difficult family and interpersonal
dynamics are present.
“Elaine brought a willing flexibility to her ministry within the IWK. She
was eager for more hours and employment within the Spiritual Health
Team. She always accepted shifts offered to her on short notice.”
There is tremendous irony in this departure, given only last year the
IWK formed a diversity and inclusion committee, and now due to “ongoing
challenges related to the Spiritual Health budget for 2010-11”
the black on-call Chaplain finds herself on the outside looking in.
Even Rev. Elaine’s efforts to volunteer her time were rebuffed.
She tells me she is “disappointed, not bitter” by the IWK’s decision
to let her go.
“Spiritual care is a passion for me, it will never be about money.
What I don’t understand is why the hospital went through all the hoopla
to introduce me as a member of the neonatal intensive care team last
fall as part of their diversity & inclusion push, and six months later it’s
all over.
“But I don’t see this as an issue of race. I won’t cheapen it by making
Pastor Elaine
Walcott
it a race issue. But one would hope if you are going to initiate a diversity
& inclusion campaign you are going to have the foresight to see
that anything or anybody pertinent to that campaign operates longer
than six months,” Rev. Elaine told me.
She will continue to run her bi-weekly multi-faith Koinonia Church
services every second Sunday in the free downtown space provided
by Jim Petrie, the owner/operator of Halifax Feast Dinner Theatre
in the Maritime Mall.
Petrie is a deacon at the church, as is Sue Ellen Hansen, Wanda
Hunt, and Rev. Elaine’s husband and high school sweetheart Joe
Walcott.
They, along with the talented and fragrant Beth Beare, a veteran
psychiatric nurse, continue to shepherd the needs of many in Halifax’s
marginalized community.
Rev. Elaine and husband Joe are high school sweethearts from Glace
Bay’s former Morrison High. They graduated 100 years ago from
that pile, along with Jim Petrie, and the equally compassionate and
brainy Diane (nee Gillis) O’Reilly, a top czarina in the IWK’s Women’s
& Newborn Health Unit, a fervent supporter of diversity and a
Facebook friend of Rev. Elaine’s.
The IWK Health Care Foundation prez is Robbie Shaw, Alexa
McDonough’s brother. I don’t know if he is one of Rev. Elaine’s
Facebook or not.
The IWK Health Care Centre employs about 3,000 people.
Here Endeth The Lesson....
Oh, this just in: Keeping with the reg PR BS, I have just rec’d an
email from the IWK Health Centre public relations department (whatever
that is supposed to mean) telling me ... yawn ... “Due to employee
confidentiality, we can’t speak about details of any IWK employees.”
However, the rather emaciated looking email did share the heavenly
news:
“We can tell you that the IWK has submitted a balanced business
plan to the Department of Health.”
All glory be to God, I say!
Does Frank Know? atlanticfrank@eastlink.ca
APRIL 13, 2010 ATLANTIC CANADA FRANK 5