Chaplain Doug Ensminger Honored,

Takes Us Inside VA Hospital

On Sunday mornings, when he's not on duty at the VA Hospital as supervisory chaplain, Doug Ensminger is usually at First Congregational Church.   His friends here were pleased to learn he was recently honored for being the best in the country for doing what he does! 

He received the Secretary's Award for Excellence – Supervisory Chaplain of the Year, presented May 17 by The Honorable R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

A supervisor at the hospital for four of his 12 years of chaplaincy, Doug admits "It's nice to be recognized, and I do appreciate it.   But," he adds, "it doesn't fit my mindset.  I just do my job in the best way I can.  I've been fortunate for 36 years to be paid for what I love doing!"

The awards banquet was part of the annual leadership convocation for VA chaplains, who this year met jointly with military chaplains.

"The meeting was both beneficial and difficult," says Doug.   "There are horrendous demands placed on troops.  They often don't know who the enemy is.  Especially in Iraq, there is no place that is safe, no place to go for respite.

"Because of today's medical care, many more soldiers survive their injuries. Of these, 25 to 75 percent have some degree of traumatic brain injury.   And we don't know how to deal with the type of brain injuries they get – those caused by shock waves."

Among the reasons Doug loves his job:

He's proud of the hospital, for starters.  "I am very comfortable telling anyone that you will get as good care in our VA hospital as anywhere else in Houston's medical community," he says.

About his work: "I get to be with people at very precious points in their lives, where they're coming to grips with their own mortality.   And many are struggling with the guilt of having killed. Talking about this helps.  So does finding ways to serve others.

"Because I'm in a supervisory capacity at the hospital, I can encourage the leadership to reflect on morale issues with staff, and I can help with preparations for medical emergencies.

"What if we had a flu pandemic, for example.  Who gets the respirators?

Two of the lesser known functions of a VA hospital are to provide overflow beds in case of mass casualties and to provide support for the community.  

"When there is a Federal medical emergency, says Doug, "the VA hospital becomes the coordinating agency among the area's nonprofit hospitals, all of which are obligated to make beds available in national emergencies."

During the Katrina aftermath, Houston took probably half of the people evacuated from hospitals in New Orleans.   Doug spent five days at Ellington Field, helping to triage people from 80 airplanes and sending them to appropriate hospitals here.

"How do we ensure effective emergency response?  We – our Patient Receiving Team – hold regular practice sessions," he explains.