As spiritual care providers in a clinical setting, our chaplains help advocate a holistic concept of health. Modern medical care recognizes the integration of a person’s spiritual, emotional and physical well-being. These elements are interdependent dimensions both in health and in illness. We proudly provide our services not only to our patients and visitors but also to our staff.
Common areas where our chaplains provide assistance are:
- During times of crisis
- Facing life changes and challenges
- Experiencing grief and loss
- Providing spiritual counsel and guidance
- Discerning goals of care
Our spiritual care services are provided for patients of varying creeds, beliefs, religious affiliations, and even patients with no identified faith at all. We ultimately hope to help people explore meaning; identifying and utilizing spiritual coping strategies in the form of personal, family, community and religious resources.
Our Chaplains abide by the Common Code of Ethics for Chaplains, Pastoral Counselors, Pastoral Educators, and Students.
Rochester General Hospital's Spiritual Care
Rochester General Hospital employs a team of professional staff chaplains and hosts a nationally accredited Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program.
Learn More about the Clinical Pastoral Education Program
- Chaplains are available in the hospital Monday through Friday from 8:00 am – 9:00 pm.
- Chaplains are available on call for urgent needs 24/7.
- Please call the operator at (585) 922-4000 to reach a chaplain.
- Confidentiality is strictly maintained.
Meet Rochester General Hospital's Chaplains
James (Jim) Egolf, Supervisor of Spiritual Care and Education grew up in Alabama and spent summers at Jewish Summer Camp in Utica, MS. He attended Temple University where he graduated cum laude in 1989. During his undergraduate studies he also studied at Gratz College and spent a year living on Kibbutz Tzorah. Upon completion of his undergraduate studies Jim attended the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem and then finished his Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters in Cincinnati where he also received rabbinic ordination. He has served congregations in Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. He finished his Doctorate of Ministry in 2005. Jim was married to Rebecca Broder Egolf (z"l) who died in 2021 and together they have two adult sons. Jim trained at the Cleveland Clinic and was certified as an ACPE Educator as associate in 2017 and full in 2018. Jim is a board certified chaplain through NAJC. He also serves as national faculty for ACPE and is on ACPE’s finance committee. He received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity in 2020 from the Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati. Jim began in his role at Rochester General Hospital in 2024.
Jill is a staff chaplain at Rochester General Hospital (RGH) and a graduate of its Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program. She is a retired special education teacher and continues to serve the CPE program at RGH with her mission to educate, guide and encourage current chaplain interns in a support role. Her seminary training and Unitarian Universalist faith have given her the spiritual foundation to honor the many expressions of faith and ideology encountered in our hospital patients and CPE students. She is happy to have a home in her adopted Rochester, NY spiritual care community, although the Bronx, will always be where she comes from.
As a life-long resident of the Rochester, NY area, Scott earned Master’s degrees in Theological Studies from Northeastern Seminary and in Strategic Leadership from Roberts Wesleyan College. He’s also completed 6 units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), including a residency at Strong Memorial Hospital. Scott is an ordained pastor of the Free Methodist Church with an ecclesiastical endorsement for chaplain ministries. Prior to joining Rochester Regional Health, he was an Associate Pastor at Park Ridge Free Methodist Church where he ministered to homebound, hospitalized, and nursing home parishioners. Earlier in his career, Scott also worked as a project manager at IBM in their network services division. Scott’s desire is to minister to those struggling in life, celebrate their successes, and connect with them on a personal level. His leisure time is spent with his wife, hiking in Western NY, and eating good food with good company.
David received a BA in coaching from William Carey College. He went on to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He earned a MACE degree in 2009. David has served as an ordained minister for churches in Alabama, Texas, Mississippi and New York. In his role as a chaplain, David is honored to walk beside patients, families and staff as they move through the highs and lows of their healing journeys. In his free time, David enjoys cooking and paddle boarding with his wife and two children.
Clif serves as Palliative Care chaplain for Rochester General Hospital providing spiritual support to patients and families through serious illness and in some cases transitions to end of life and loss. Clif earned his Masters from Northeastern Seminary and clinical training at Strong Memorial Hospital. Clif has experience in hospice care, trauma, skilled nursing facilities and inpatient mental health. A husband and father of three, Clif is honored to be a part of some of the most sacred moments in people’s lives.
Unity Hospital's Spiritual Care
Available Spiritual Care Services
We are here when you:
- Are grieving
- Are lonely or afraid
- Are faced with serious illness or life change
- Feel overwhelmed or depressed
- Need Prayer or spiritual support
- Need encouragement
- Desire to celebrate good news
- Desire to receive the sacraments
- Need support as you make health care decisions
- Want your clergy person contacted
- Need to talk about end of life concerns
- Need support before or after surgery
- Special services as requested
Get in Touch
- Chaplains are available in the hospital Monday through Friday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.
- Chaplains are available on call for urgent needs 24/7.
- Please call the operator at (585) 723-7000 reach a chaplain.
- Confidentiality is strictly maintained.
Meet Unity Hospital's Chaplains
Raised in Hilton, NY, John earned his BS in Systems Engineering from The US Naval Academy, a Masters of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and His Doctor of Education in Leadership from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. John has completed (9) units of CPE including (3) years of residency at Baptist Health Louisville and URMC/Strong, including specialized experience in oncological, palliative, geriatric behavioral, and hospice spiritual care. He is an ordained pastor endorsed by the North American Baptist Conference. In addition to clinical chaplaincy, John serves as an adjunct professor of leadership at Northeastern Seminary, and as chaplain for the Spencerport Volunteer Fire Department. John is also a retired US Marine Corps officer. After leaving the Corps and prior to joining Unity, he was a director of business development for a reverse logistics company, a high school chemistry teacher, a pastor, and head of a Christian school. John’s desire is to connect with and accompany others as they move through their life and illness journey. John’s leisure time is spent vegetable gardening, walking and hiking with his wife, working on family genealogy, and spending time with his four children and grandchildren.
Dan is a Clinical Chaplain, currently serving on a Multidisciplinary Care Team in Long Term Care and Inpatient Psychiatry. He has also served as a Chaplain in Palliative, ICU, Cardiac Transplant and Critical Care settings. One of his passions is to come alongside people as a hopeful presence, helping them explore what it means to move forward through the ups and downs of life, identify the tools needed to cultivate resilience, and keep going after what gives life meaning. Dan grew up in western Connecticut but knew he wanted to be in the Finger Lakes region after his first trip to the area to visit his wife’s family. He enjoys spending time outdoors, listening to music and drinking craft coffee. He lives in Canandaigua with his wife Rachel, son AJ, and dog Max.
Amy has been with Rochester Regional Health for over 10 years. She has a Masters of Divinity from Northeastern Seminary and did her clinical training at Strong Memorial Hospital. Amy is board-certified by the Spiritual Care Association and an ordained minister. Amy has experience providing spiritual care to a wide range of patients and their families and is honored to be with people while they are at the hospital. She is also a member of the Monroe County Peer Support team for First Responders and is the Chaplain for Gates Volunteer Ambulance. She is married and has two grown children. Amy likes to kayak, hike, read, and bake.