Where It All Began

Spiritual Care Consultants of West Michigan was formed September 2007 around a Bible study at Spectrum Health Pennock Hospital in Hastings, Michigan. Troy Carlson, M.D. of Family Tree Medical was expressing a great need that he was seeing within his practice. There were many patients who were having spiritual issues that were impacting their physical wellness and he did not know what to do. That is when the idea of having a spiritual care consultant in the practice came to be. The need was great because in September 2007 Thornapple Valley Church had done a survey of the Hastings area and found that fifty percent of the people did not attend church, but this did not mean they were not spiritual. With the recent economic challenges and all the people out of work and uninsured, Spiritual Care Consultants’ existence is even more important. With such a great need we felt that this service would be good for not only the physicians’ offices but also, for the corporations in the communities we serve.