How to Rebuild Trust: The Chaplain and the Doctor with Betty Clark and Jessica Zitter | EP24

This episode is sponsored by NURPNURP helps busy physicians grow their wealth through AI-powered algorithmic trading designed for demanding careers. No day trading, no guesswork, and no constant market watching required. Ready to put your money to work? Visit start.nurp.com/doctors  to learn more. Trading involves risk, and results may vary. This is not financial advice.—-------------------------------What does it take to enter the room of a patient who has already kicked the doctor out?Join Dr. Jonathan Weinkle in this episode of Healing People, Not Patient as he welcomes Chaplain Betty Clark and Dr. Jessica Zitter to  unpack a powerful scene with Mr. James Kelly and his brother Bernard. Against a backdrop of post COVID collapse in trust, racial and historical trauma, personal fear, and the sense that “you walk into the hospital and you never walk out,” they show how listening without agenda, naming fear, and simply showing up can begin to reopen the door.The work is not about fixing the entire system in one visit or guaranteeing outcomes. It is about lifting the spirit, finding common ground in hope, refusing to take a patient’s anger personally, and recognizing that presence, especially when a chaplain and physician walk in together can be powerful medicine when trust has been eroded.Top 3 TakeawaysDistrust is rarely personal at first. Patients often arrive already carrying systemic, racial, historical, or prior traumatic experiences with healthcare; clinicians who refuse to take the anger as about them stay available for the next conversation.Presence without agenda builds trust faster than expertise alone. Asking “What are you hoping for?” or “How is your heart?” keeps the focus on the patient’s story and spirit rather than the clinician’s goals.Concordance and partnership matter. Shared identity, a trusted community member, or simply a chaplain and doctor entering the room together can shift the dynamic when one person alone cannot break through.About The Show Healing People, Not Patients explores ways to enhance medical practice by infusing it with compassion, humanity, and a deeper sense of purpose, aiming to help healthcare professionals rediscover the "soul" of their work. Framed around the four questions of the Passover Seder, it probes how to transform medicine for the better, promoting an empathetic and supportive approach that empowers patients to create meaningful, sober lives, while drawing on Jewish teachings about community and friendship. "Our theme song, 'Room for the Soul,' is available on Bandcamp at https://jonathanweinkle.bandcamp.com/track/room-for-the-soul." About the Guests Chaplain Betty Clark, MDiv, is a longtime hospice and palliative care chaplain who founded Church Without Walls and the East Bay Community End of Life Coalition. Dr. Jessica Zitter is a critical care and palliative physician, author of Extreme Measures, and co-creator of films including Extremis, Caregiver: A Love Story, and The Chaplain and the Doctor. About the Host:Dr. Jonathan Weinkle is an internist and pediatrician who practices primary care at a community health center in Pittsburgh. He strives to be a "nice Jewish doctor" focused on  patient-centered healthcare, emphasizing effective communication and holistic well-being.He teaches the courses, “Death and the Healthcare Professions” and “Healing and Humanity” at the University of Pittsburgh, authored the books Healing People, Not Patients and Illness to Exodus, and runs ‘Healers Who Listen’, where he blogs on healing and Jewish tradition. Once an aspiring rabbi, he now integrates faith and medicine to support other physicians and his own patients.🌐 Website: healerswholisten.com🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathan-weinkle-3440032a📸 Instagram: @HealersWhoListen📘 Facebook: @JonathanWeinkle   The Healing People, Not Patients Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals regarding your personal or organizational decisions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.