Restoring the Soul of Healthcare: Lessons from a Chaplain and a Doctor

At Highland Hospital in Oakland, California, a safety-net hospital serving one of the most culturally diverse and medically complex populations in the country, Dr. Jessica Zitter and Chaplain Betty Clark have spent more than a decade working side by side on the palliative care team.

Their partnership bridges medicine and spiritual care, science and story, showing that healing begins with listening.

Their story is captured beautifully in The Chaplain & The Doctor, a film directed by Jessica and produced by the nonprofit she founded, Reel Medicine Media. The film follows their daily rounds through hospital rooms filled with grief, resilience and the quiet miracles of presence.

What emerges is a portrait of radical teamwork: two women who, by honoring the human being behind the diagnosis, are helping to restore something long missing in healthcare: its soul.

“By lifting up every person’s story, patients, their loved ones and their providers, we can change business as usual and begin to restore a lost humanity to healthcare in this country.” — Chaplain Betty Clark and Dr. Jessica Zitter

The Power of Story in Healing

Jessica and Betty entered medicine through different doors.

Jessica trained in critical care and palliative medicine, often becoming one of the first people to respond when a patient was dying in the ICU. Betty, an 80-year-old chaplain and minister, brought decades of experience helping families navigate crisis, loss and faith.

When they met, they saw the same promises and challenges from two directions. Modern medicine is remarkable at keeping bodies alive, but too often fails to see the person inside.

Together, they have made it their mission to bring story, spirituality and compassion back into the heart of care.

In their words and in their practice, they model what radical bravery looks like inside the walls of a hospital: the courage to stay human.

If You Are a Patient or Advocate

Your story deserves to be heard, especially by the people caring for you. When providers know who you are, they are more likely to treat you with compassion and see you as a whole person.

Providers may not ask, but they need to know. You can help set the stage by:

Telling your story. Who are you? Who is with you? What brings you joy? What are your hopes and fears?

Asking for a chaplain. You do not need to be religious. Chaplains are trained listeners who can help you feel seen and understood.

Bringing a loved one. When you are too tired or overwhelmed, someone you trust can help share your story.

Speaking up. When a provider makes you feel judged or dismissed, ask to see someone else. You have that right.

Staying curious. The people caring for you also carry stories of exhaustion, courage and care. Connection runs both ways.

Being seen as a person rather than a diagnosis is one of the most healing experiences we can offer or receive.

If You Are a Healthcare Provider

You entered medicine to help people. But exhaustion, time pressure and systemic dysfunction can make even the most compassionate clinician feel disconnected.

Jessica and Betty’s work shows us that storytelling can restore meaning for patients and providers alike.

Try this in your daily practice:

Notice judgment. When you hear labels such as “difficult,” “noncompliant” or “frequent flyer,” pause. What story might be hidden underneath?

Ask a new question. Instead of “What’s the matter with you?” try “What matters to you?”

Find a partner. Confide in a colleague. Cross silos. Tell your own story. You might be surprised by how much healing comes from being heard.

Collaborate with a chaplain. Chaplains often see emotional and spiritual distress that is not visible on a chart. Together, you can offer care that medicine alone cannot.

Each time you choose curiosity over assumption, you help rebuild trust, one interaction at a time.

If You Are a Chaplain or Spiritual Caregiver

Chaplains like Betty Clark remind us that spiritual care is a necessity.

Your work helps people find meaning, belonging and peace when life feels impossible. You are, in many ways, the heartbeat of a humane healthcare system.

Here is how to lead and partner well:

Speak up. When you witness spiritual suffering, isolation or untreated pain, bring it to the care team’s attention.

Share what you hear. The stories patients tell you may hold the key to understanding their choices and priorities.

Honor every form of spirituality. As Betty once said, “I had a 45-minute spirit-lifting talk about motorcycles with a man who swore he wasn’t spiritual.” Connection is sacred, whatever form it takes.

Build partnerships. Pair with a physician, nurse or social worker. Together, you can address both the body and the soul of illness.

Your voice can help bridge the space between science and spirit, a bridge the world desperately needs.

A Call to All of Us

Whether you are a patient, caregiver, clinician or chaplain, you are part of the same story: one about how we choose to see each other in times of suffering.

Each of us can help restore humanity to healthcare by listening more deeply, asking what matters and remembering that every person is more than what is written in their chart.

When we do, medicine becomes a calling again.

Watch the Film

The Chaplain & The Doctor, a Reel Medicine Media production featuring Dr. Jessica Zitter and Chaplain Betty Clark.