Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
at Carle Foundation Hospital

CPE History at Carle

In July 1979, Charles B. Van Vorst became president of the Carle Foundation Hospital.  He had been on the administrative staff of Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for some years and had direct involvement with pastoral care services and clinical pastoral education programs.  He brought a needed focus for a pastoral care department and clinical pastoral education programs to the Carle campus in order to round out the holistic health care thrust he envisioned for Carle.  He states that two of his early goals for the hospital were to create a research program and a pastoral care department.  The Foundation Board supported these proposals within the first year of his administration.  

Mr. Van Vorst invited the Champaign Ministerial Association to become involved and they were delighted to support the development of a pastoral care department for the campus.  A Pastoral Care Advisory Committee (six clergy) was established for this purpose.  The decision to search for a chaplain certified in Clinical Pastoral Education was made, and The Rev. Paul Walters was hired in April 1981.  He established a comprehensive chaplaincy department and guided the hospital through the accreditation process in ACPE.  The board, administration and Advisory Committee had already started the accreditation process.   

Rev. David Davis was the second Director of Pastoral Care and ACPE Supervisor from November 1984 until his retirement in September 1997.  In December, 1997, Alice McLaughlin was hired into that position.  She completed the residency program in progress with three students and supervised ACPE until her retirement in March 2005.  Rev. James Winjum joined Carle as CPE supervisor and Pastoral Care Director in September 2005.

The residency program was suspended in July 1999 due to the lack of suitable applicants and after a careful analysis and evaluation of the expectations and competencies for residents.  The need then, to provide pastoral care and for staff resulted in the hire of three staff chaplains over the next two years plus one part time chaplain at Carle Arbours.  Then, in December, 2004, a fourth chaplain was added and the PRN hospital chaplaincy and chaplaincy at Carle Arbours ended..

The full-time Summer CPE unit and an Extended unit are now conducted each year.

The Professional Consultation Committee represents the center and community clergy.  With the hiring of the staff chaplains, the distinction between pastoral care and the education program became clearer.

The CPE program continues to change through evaluations sent to students, input from the Professional Consultation Committee, and the director’s membership on the Graduate Medical Education Committee.  The latter committee consists of the directors and educators of the various residency programs/internships within the hospital.