Robert William Bellin, JR

Series: 0060 Pay Plan: GS Grade: 11 (This is a federal job)

Hours per week: 40 2/2013-April 2019; 20 8/2012-2/2013

• Entrusted with Supervisor's responsibilities, serving as acting Chief of Chaplain Service, including, but not limited to, representing service at Morning Report, handling Decedent Affairs, supervising colleagues and staff, and advising hospital staff in the Chief's absence.
• Serve as Mental Health Inpatient Ward (Recovery East) Chaplain, 18 beds, and 2 West Acute Care Medical, Surgical and Observation Ward, 33 beds, a total of 51 beds.
• Serve as Community Living Center (CLC)-Inpatient Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Unit Chaplain. CLC/Warriors Walk Combined, 25 beds, 78 potential beds.
• Provided patient coverage for pre-op 2022.
• As core staff member of Mental Health Inpatient and CLC Ward/Warriors Walk, advised IDTs on integrating patient spirituality into the patient's overall treatment plan, meeting daily with Mental Health Team and once a week with CLC Team.
• Served as a calming influence during sometimes lively ethical debates on the CLC IDT. I am able to articulate the issues in conflict, such as the clash between the patient’s autonomy and treatment preferences, which may be in opposition to the treatment team’s best practice of medical care.
• Conducted in-briefs on spiritual care relating to behavioral health for student nurses from the Medical School of the University of South Carolina, psychiatrists, and social workers.
• Met with each patient on Mental Health Inpatient Ward to assess spiritual needs, including meeting together with the staff psychiatrist and patient. The psychiatrist observed my very warm, insightful, client-centered style, which helps the Veteran identify needs and goals.
• Provide for religious and spiritual needs, sacraments, rituals, prayers, Scriptures, and inspirational materials for particular religious traditions.
• Conducte intensive, therapeutic pastoral counseling for patients and their families, while being sensitive to their unique spiritual and religious needs, and respecting confidentiality.
• Facilitate Spirituality Groups, developing engaging lesson plans based on independent study, clinical research, and Veteran's After Action Reviews, incorporating artistic expression into the healing process. Staff and Veterans commented positively.
• Provide spiritual support that helped Veterans and families deal with spiritual crises, ethical dilemmas, conflicts, and make decisions surrounding end-of-life (EOL) issues.
• Provide spiritual support during family meetings on Recovery East and 2 West, enabling anxious family members to reframe critical treatment decisions in light of the Veteran's expressed wishes and deeply held values.
• Equipped staff chaplains to facilitate Mental Health spirituality groups in my absence, providing guidance on how to effectively lead the community-building activities, facilitate effective group discussions, and focus on the crucial issues of the particular lesson.
• Led professional development training on renewing morale for both Mental Health staff and social workers for the medical center and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).
• Contacted and coordinated with contract Catholic priest and other approved clergy and religious leaders to meet specific spiritual, sacramental, and religious needs of Veterans and family members.
• Led a four member chaplain service team to develop annual program calendar; planned, presented, and implemented proposed and approved programming, which included conducting very moving and healing Memorial Services, spiritually renewing Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday Services, National Day of Prayer, September 11th Observation, and an outstanding Pastoral Care Conference.
• Conduct Memorial Services for CLC Veterans, Quarterly Memorial Services for Veterans in the hospital, Staff Memorials and graveside services at the Fort Jackson National cemetery. Families and staff said that these memorials and messages captured the essence of their loved ones, and helped them to heal.
• Conduct weekly devotions for CLC Veterans and staff.
• Document effectively and accurately in Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) all contacts with patients, patient assessments, treatments, and ministry per VA and NCC policies.
• Serve as 24-hour on-call duty chaplain, rotating with colleagues.
• From 2012-2013, as pastor of Sunday chapel services, conducted worship services, preaching, and administered sacraments for the 0930 Main Hospital Chapel Service and the 1100 Mental Health Ward Worship Service weekly; 2013-2019 and 2022-Present led worship, preached, and administered sacraments at both services on a rotating basis.

Supervisor: Chaplain Eddie Davis (803-201-5247) Okay to contact this Supervisor: Yes

Hours per week: 40

• Created and presented, "Spirituality and Palliation," for Medico-Legal Conference on Aging, which attendees rated 4.78 out of possible 5.
• Served as mentor for medical students at University of Texas, meeting with them on a regular basis, equipping them to care for Veterans and their family members.
• Core member of Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Consult Team (PCCT), receiving, reviewing cases, and providing pastoral care for End Of Life (EOL) Veterans and family members.
• Met in daily rounds with PCCT preceptor, physician fellows, clinical nurse specialists, psychiatrists, pharmacists, and social workers to incorporate religious support and pastoral care into treatment plans for Veterans and their family members.
• Served as subject matter expert for the PCCT on religion, world religions, spirituality, ethics, ethical decision making, and spiritual distress.
• Joined PCCT in team visits and family meetings; preceptor noted that my presence and input helped to moderate and mediate conflict in difficult situations.
• Collaborated with Catholic staff chaplains to support pastoral care for Catholic Veterans and their families, and to join me in family meetings, modeling ecumenical and inter-faith style.
• Worked with approved community clergy/ lay leaders to provide support for specific religious needs that cannot be met by chaplain staff; coordinated to provide Islamic and Buddhist support.
• For every Veteran who agreed to receive spiritual support, offered empathetic ministry of presence, respecting whatever meaning-making system that the Veteran or family member employed to bring order to health issues and life situations.
• Ensured “No Veteran Dies Alone,” by closely following Veterans, identifying critical cases, providing extensive bedside ministry to EOL Veterans and their families.
• Documented effectively and accurately in Electronic Health Record all contacts with Veterans, patient assessments, treatments, and ministry per VA and NCC policies.
• Served as 24-hour on-call duty chaplain, rotating with colleagues.
• Preached, led Sunday worship services, and administered sacraments in hospital chapel once a month.

Supervisor: Chaplain Sherron Hughes-Tremper, Okay to contact this Supervisor: Deceased. Please contact Chaplain Juliana Lesher, then Chief of Chaplain Service, (210) 519-9055.

• Resolved customer service issues and devised continual improvements to enhance quality of patient care.

Hours per week: 40

• Participated in interdisciplinary treatment teams in Bone Marrow Transplant six months, and Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) six months.
• Chosen by supervisor to serve as back-up to Palliative Care Chaplain Fellow, learning and interacting with preceptor and fellows during weekly didactics, consult visits, and family meetings.
• As part of MICU, participated in intra-disciplinary study group, "Increasing the Use of Palliative Care in the MICU."
• Supported Bone Marrow Transplant Veterans through each process of the procedure, operating with a clinical understanding of how each cycle of the procedure may affect them physically, emotionally and spiritually, and adapting my spiritual care accordingly.
• Provided spiritual care for Palliative Care and CLC Veterans and their family members, covering consults and new admissions as part of weekend and duty coverage. Also covered Palliative Care and CLC Veterans as part of pre-ops and medical/surgical ward coverage.
• Documented effectively and accurately in CPRS all contacts with patients, patient assessments, treatments, and ministry per VA and NCC policies.
• Communicated effectively with persons of diverse races, cultures, religions, nationalities, and ages, with varying types and degrees of disabilities.
• Served as 24-hour duty chaplain, rotating with colleagues.
• Preached, led Sunday worship services, and administered sacraments for hospital chapel once a month.

Supervisor: Chaplain Sherron Hughes -Tremper Okay to contact Supervisor: Deceased. Please Chaplain Juliana Lesher, then Chief of Chaplain Service (210) 519-9055.

Hours per week: 40 Series: 0303 Pay Plan: GS Grade: 5 (This is a Federal Job)

• Contributed to the Fort Jackson command and public information programs.
• Published weekly articles for the Installation newspaper and other publications, which the public accessed online. For example, Fort Sam Houston re-published a September 28, 2006 article on "Ramadan Begins for Muslim Soldiers."
• Gathered, evaluated, and edited information to ensure conformity to accepted command and journalistic standards.
• Provided administrative and technical support to further the mission of the Public Affairs Office.
• Attended and participated in Fort Jackson Interim Progress Reviews (IPRs) and reported back to Public Affairs and Deputy Public Affairs Officers.
• Photographed subjects for the Installation newspaper and for other command purposes.
• Updated the Installation's public internet website, ensuring basic combat graduation schedules and unit pages were accurate and up-to-date.
• With no formal experience as journalist or photographer, took the initiative to become "first rate in both areas," according to supervisor's evaluation.
• Called the "Go-to" member of the office team, and "always goes the extra mile to get the job done or help others," according to supervisor's evaluation.

Supervisor: Karen Soule (803-751-5272) Okay to contact this Supervisor: Yes

At each duty station:

• Advised the battalion and company commanders on all issues of religion, morale, ethics and morality.
• Served on casualty notification teams, providing direct bereavement support to survivors when they were first informed about the death of loved ones.
• Supervised, mentored, and rated Chaplain Assistants.
• Provided comprehensive religious support, conducting off-site retreats, special events, workshops, religious education, briefings, individual and couples' counseling, crisis ministry to suicidal personnel, Soldiers suffering from PTSD, extensive hospital and home visitation, field worship services, devotions, funeral and memorial services for military personnel and their families.
• Served as 24-hour Garrison crisis duty chaplain once a month, rotating with colleagues, providing emergency religious support through hospital visitation, suicide prevention, incarceration, death notifications, officiating at funerals, military memorial services, and graveside services at the Veterans Administration cemeteries.

Hours per week: 40

• Served as Brigade Rear Detachment Chaplain and liaison to the Fort Lewis Family Support Group while brigade deployed to Iraq, counseling the leadership on spiritual support issues and providing extensive and intensive counseling support to family members.
• Conducted and coordinated brigade level development and training opportunities for six chaplains and their administrative staff.
• Created presentation on the cultures, religions, and ethnical groups of Iraq that prepared officers for a more effective deployment; which was used throughout the Brigade.
• Drafted comments for the Battalion Commander to present at a high visibility ceremony.
• Provided pastoral care to families at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Fisher House.
• Preached and led worship services once a month at Evergreen Chapel.

Supervisor: Colonel Cheri Provancha (360-970-3642) Okay to contact this Supervisor: Yes

Hours per week: 40

• Planned a Marriage Enrichment program for 30 Soldiers and their spouses that improved marital relationships and strengthened battalion morale.
• As Assistant Pastor at Evergreen Chapel and Senior Pastor of Soldier's Chapel, supervised and mentored staff, preached, led worship services, and provided pastoral care and counseling for Soldiers, authorized civilians, and their families.
• Provided pastoral care to families at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Fisher House.

Supervisor: Colonel Dennis Jarosz (770-362-8074) Okay to contact this Supervisor: Yes

• As Senior pastor of the Chapel on the Hill, supervised and mentored staff, preached, led worship services, Bible Studies, and provided pastoral care and counseling for Soldiers.
• As officer in charge of chapel facilities and grounds, authorized and scheduled all events in a multi-purpose facility.
• Conducted worship services at remote firing sites during field exercises, conducting as many as five services on a Sunday, and offering worship services at each site visited during the week.
• Created and presented a redeployment program to prepare Soldiers for family reunions that the organization continued to use.  

Supervisor: Major Henry J. Henry

Hours per week: 40

• Created and conducted original briefings for the battalion, including, but not limited to, suicide prevention briefings that remained in use.

• Incorporated chaplain section responsibilities into the overall planning processes of the battalion.
• Provided comprehensive religious support in Garrison and in the field for the battalion and Soldiers preparing for and participating in a National Training Center rotation and a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation to prepare for deployment to Bosnia.

• As Assistant Pastor of 76th St. Chapel, preached, led worship, and provided pastoral care and counseling for Soldiers, authorized civilians, and their families.
• Successfully cooperated with other staff sections to carry out teaching programs and retreats, including, but not limited to, planning and conducting an off-site retreat for 33 personnel that enhanced communication and cooperation in the battalion, and a marriage reunion retreat with Chaplain colleague for couples redeploying from Bosnia.
• Provided comprehensive religious support to Soldiers and their families in Garrison and the field.
• Conducted worship services in Garrison and the field.
• Provided pastoral care to families at the Ford Hood Fisher House.

Supervisor: Lieutenant Colonel, now General Gregory P. Koenig  (254-288-0928) Okay to contact this unit: Yes

Hours per week: 50

• Co-creator of the mandatory interactive redeployment and reunion briefing required for all military personnel before returning form overseas.

• Selected above peers to brief the Commanding General and his spouse on the redeployment program.
• Developed and taught a stress management briefing that the battalion commander credited for eliminating legal and disciplinary problems among unit personnel.

• As Assistant Pastor of Bosnia's main post chapel, and Pastor of the United States Air Force Chapel, preached, led worship services, and provided pastoral care and counseling for military personnel and contractors.

Supervisor: Lieutenant Colonel, now General Gregory P. Koenig  (254-287-1018) Okay to contact this unit: Yes.

• As Solo Pastor, provided extensive pastoral care and counseling to sick and shut-in, hospitalized, and dying parishioners and their families.
• Led worship services, preached, administered sacraments weekly.
• Moderated and supervised governing board of church.
• Provided marriage enrichment programs and pre-marital and marital counseling for couples in the church and in the community.
• Worked with local community churches to develop a basketball program that helped keep local youth off the streets.
• Served on the Presbytery's Committee on Ministry, moderating another church's board while it searched for a pastor.

Supervisor: Presbytery of Newark, New Jersey (973-429-2500) Okay to contact this Supervisor: Yes.