How has health care reform affected professional chaplaincy programs and how are department directors responding?

No published studies were identified that describe the impact of health care reform on professional chaplaincy departments in hospital settings. Results from a random sample (N = 370) of department directors indicate that 45 percent report no budgetary consequences, 27 percent have experienced budgetary cutbacks, and 17 percent describe departmental growth. The cutbacks most often involve the loss of staff chaplain positions. Directors also describe past and future strategies for resisting downsizing trends.