Chaplaincy Services Statement of Work.pdf

Statement of Work For

Chaplaincy Services

Background:

The NIH Clinical Center (CC) is the world’s largest hospital dedicated solely to research. Located in Bethesda, Maryland the CC provides clinical care and services to patients participating in human subjects research protocols of the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Services are provided in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The contractor is responsible for providing spiritual care services to CC patients, their families and caregivers as well as to CC staff.

Spiritual Care at the CC is available to all regardless of religious belief or philosophical commitments.

This position is located in the CC Spiritual Care Department (SCD) and under the direct supervision of the Chief, SCD.

The anticipated award date will be determined at time of award and shall be for a term of one year plus one one-year renewal option. Duty hours may include weekends, holidays and on-call coverage as well as presiding at worship services.

Purpose:

The purpose of this procurement is for a contract Chaplain, who shall be available at times when additional staffing is necessary. Work hours during the term herein will be scheduled at time mutually agreeable to the parties in the sole discretion of the Chief, SCD. The response includes initial visits, routine follow-up, referral visits, counseling sessions, caregiver and staff support, oncall services and presiding at worship services. The contract chaplain participates in interdisciplinary team meetings, patient care conferences, other meetings as assigned and recording patient encounters according to SCD procedures.

Section I: Scope of Work

Spiritual Care: Meets with pediatric patients in a manner consistent with the child’s emotional, cognitive and spiritual development as well as their families to identify religious/spiritual issues and concerns, assess spiritual resources, and develop an individual plan of care for each patient that is appropriate for the patient’s or family member’s cultural, linguistic, cognitive, language needs and health status and records patient encounters in the medical record according to department policy and procedure. The contactor’s primary duty is to provide spiritual care services to pediatric patients; pediatric care is likely expected to range up to 50% of service hours provided.

• Provides faith specific spiritual/religious care for patients and families of the Jewish faith as well as leading and organizing Jewish rituals, rites and group support activities.

• Develops and executes spiritual care plans for all patients for whom care is provided,

• Offers prayer and performs religious rites at patient request that are appropriate given the patient’s and practitioner’s traditions or makes referrals to clergy/authorized practitioners of the patient’s religious tradition who can provide such services

• Conducts worship services and other group activities that respond to the spiritual needs of patients and staff as appropriate and deemed necessary by the Chief, SCD.

• Participates in interdisciplinary team meetings and patient care conferences as assigned.

• Documents all patient and family assessment visits and follow-up visits in the electronic medical record daily.

• Provides emergency call-back service on nights, weekends and federal holidays as part of the regular rotation of staff, contract chaplains and student interns.

Staff Support – Clinical Care in a research facility is a demanding job. Clinical Center staff – caregivers in patient care settings encounter stress in their day-to-day activities. The contractor provides individual support with staff who request it as well as group debriefing sessions when incidents such as patient death, patients with high acuity or death of coworker on assigned units and as otherwise directed by the Chief, SCD.

Administrative Duties – The contractor will from time-to-time support the work of the Chief, SCD with special projects and routine administrative tasks. The contractor will serve as liaison between SCD and information technology services.

Work Location: National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center

Spiritual Care Department Bldg. 10 CRC, 7th Floor Chapel 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20192-1952

Section III: Miscellaneous Requirements

1. All required supplies will be provided by the CC-NIH. Should the contractor find the regularly stocked supplies undesirable, he or she may provide substitutions with the approval of the Chief, SCD at the contractor’s expense.

2. Absences: Absences due to emergency shall be called into the Chief, SCD immediately.

Absences such as vacations shall be coordinated and approved at least 30 days in advance and agreed upon by the Chief, SCD.

Section IV: Personnel Qualifications

1. The contractor shall demonstrate experience and competence in providing spiritual care for

a. a culturally, spiritually, religiously and linguistically diverse group of patients and families in healthcare chaplaincy in an academic medical center or clinical research environment that includes

• spiritual assessment, developing and executing spiritual care plans and documenting all activities in the electronic medical record;

• adult and pediatric patients and their families with a terminal, life threatening or life limiting diagnosis; and

• care of the dying and their families including bereavement services.

2. The contractor shall possess the administrative, interpersonal skills and information technology skills to perform the required duties.

3. The contractor shall possess an earned Master of Divinity Degree OR its equivalent OR meet the requirements of the person’s faith tradition for providing spiritual care services in a healthcare setting.

4. The contractor shall demonstrate requisite knowledge and experience necessary to work with children and young adults.

5. The contractor will be certified as a Chaplain by the Association of Professional Chaplains OR The National Association of Catholic Chaplains OR NAJC Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplain

6. Demonstrated experience working within organizational policies and procedures

Personal Interaction with patients, their families and caregivers, CC staff and SCD colleagues:

Establishing respectful, personal, and professional relationships is critical to the mission of NIH. The contractor shall perform duties in a manner that:

• Promotes dignity and respect for all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, religious preference, gender, sexuality, age, and physical or mental ability.

• Demonstrates active listening and engagement and the ability to engage in respectful communication when dealing with difficult topics.

• Demonstrates prompt response to needs and deadlines of others when providing services and data.

• Listens and remains calm to create a climate for mutual problem solving when facing difficult situations.

7. Section VI: Period of Performance:

Base Year I : 08/06/2026 to 08/05/2027

SELECTION CRITERIA:

1. Experience in providing spiritual care services or instruction to children and young adults under the age of 18 in a healthcare OR educational setting AND to adults;

2. Earned Master of Divinity Degree OR its equivalent OR meet the requirements of the contractor’s faith tradition for providing spiritual care services in a healthcare setting;

3. Academic work in an accredited academic institution related to child and young adult development and faith formation;

4. Four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) from a CPE program accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE);

5. Certification OR certification eligible as a Chaplain by the Association of Professional Chaplains or NAJC Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains;

6. Two professional references attesting to the contractor’s suitability to provide spiritual care services in a pediatric setting.

7. Fluent in Spanish

8. Availability to provide spiritual care services within 10 business of contract execution.

Non-Exclusive:

• This contract is not exclusive. Other chaplains may be contracted to provide services similar to those hereunder during the contract term and any renewals thereof.

No Guaranteed Services

• This contract is to provide services on an as needed basis. The Chief, Spiritual Care (or designee) will determine in the Chief’s sole discretion when and if the contractor’s services are required.

Schedule:

• Tour of Duty: Duty hours will generally be performed Monday to Friday between the hours of 8:30am and 5:00 pm. Actual tour of duty days of the week and hours, if any, will be scheduled in advance based upon the requirements of the SCD as determined solely by the Chief, SCD and may include weekends and federal holidays. No minimum work hours are guaranteed.

Break times may be scheduled at times mutually agreeable to the parties. On those days when assigned hours equal or exceed 5 hours of work the contractor will be assigned a ½ hour uncompensated break time.

• Emergency Call-Back: Contractor will provide call back services as required to meet direct urgent service needs of patients, patient families and staff on a schedule to be mutually agreed upon.

• Worship Services: Held at times and frequency necessary to address the spiritual needs of the patients and families as determined by the Chief, SCD and the reasonable availability of the contractor.

Section VIII: General Information

Smoking Policies within NIH Campus: The Contractor shall ensure they comply with NIH’s Tobacco Free Campus smoking policies while performing services under this contract. The use of all tobacco products (including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco, or other tobacco products) is prohibited at all times in all buildings and on all outside property or grounds, including parking areas on the NIH Bethesda Campus.

Safety: The Contractor employee shall be responsible for knowing and complying with all installation safety prevention regulations. Such regulations include, but are not limited to, general safety, fire prevention, and waste disposal.

Media Inquiries: The Contractor employee shall not respond to any media inquiries. Any inquiries from the media shall be immediately relayed to the Chief, SCD and/or CO. There shall be no interviews, comments, or any other response without the knowledge and approval of the NIH Director.

Contract/order type - This requirement will result in award of a firm fixed price contract or Order.

Productive Direct Labor Hours: The Contractor can only charge the Government for “Productive Direct Labor Hours”, which are defined as those hours expended by Contractor personnel in performing work under this effort. This does not include sick leave, vacation, Government or contractor holidays, jury duty, military leave, or any other kind of administrative leave such as acts of God (i.e., hurricanes, snowstorms, tornadoes, etc.), Presidential funerals or any other unexpected government closures. The Government only pays for hours actually worked by the Contractor employee.

Organizational Conflict of Interest: Contractor and subcontractor personnel performing work under this contract may receive, have access to or participate in the development of proprietary or source selection information (e.g., cost or pricing information, budget information or analyses, specifications or work statements, etc.) or perform evaluation services which may create a current or subsequent Organizational Conflict of Interests (OCI) as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the Contracting Officer to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The Contractor’s mitigation plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the Contracting Officer and in the event the Contracting Officer unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the Contracting Officer may affect other remedies as he deems necessary, including prohibiting the Contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI.

Section IX: Program Management and Control Requirements

Conduct:

Contractor’s employees are subject to all policies of DHHS/NIH-CC with respect to conduct. If rules of conduct are not adhered to by the contract employee(s), the Government has the right to request removal of contact employee(s) shall be done through the Contracting Officer. Infractions of just cause for immediate removal by the Government are violation of patient/guest confidentiality, endangering patients/guests, rudeness, carelessness, damage to property, etc.

Misconduct or Disruption of Services: At any time during the performance period of this contract, the Chief, SCD or Contracting Officer may request the Contractor employee be immediately removed from the premises if they determine, at their unilateral discretion, that any of the Contractor employee’s actions or impaired state to be a disruption to the workforce.

Personal Appearance:

• Appropriate professional attire.

• Clerical garb as appropriate to the contractor’s religious tradition with the exception of loose-fitting garb that may interfere with required CC personal protective equipment or other infection control measures.

Supplies and Equipment:

SCD will supply all religious, ritual and office supplies necessary to carry out the contractor’s obligations hereunder. The Chief, SCD shall decide what supplies are necessary in his sole discretion.

Note: The NIH does not pay for security clearance, physicals, or related requirements that may be required for personnel to be accepted for agreed upon assignments.

CANCELATION:

This contract may be cancelled by either party on 30 days written notice with or without cause.

Location: National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center

Spiritual Care Department 9000 Rockville Pike Bldg. 10, CRC, Rm. 7-2533 Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1952

Privacy Act Compliance:

The patient has the right to privacy concerning their medical care. The patient has the right to expect that all communications and records pertaining to their care are treated confidential. The contractor shall agree to comply with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended and the agency rules, regulations and policies implementing the Act.

Any patient data identified/utilized/transmitted will be subject to the Privacy Act and confidentiality requirements under which the Clinical Center operates. All information pertaining to specific Clinical Center patients is protected from unauthorized use or disclosure by the Privacy Act of 1974. Violation of the Act may involve the imposition of criminal penalties.

Confidentiality of Information Clause (HHSAR 352.224-70) will be included in the resultant contract.

The contractor must agree to comply with the requirements of the HHS AISPP Handbook, Version

2.0 regarding confidentiality of information. (Handbook is available at http://irm.cit.nih.gov/policy/aissp.html).

Mandatory Training and Orientation:

The contractor selected to work at the Clinical Center must receive/attend required mandatory orientation to the position and the Clinical Center. The government will provide the following required training listed below:

Clinical Center Orientation Safety and Emergency Preparedness Patient Confidentiality and Privacy Diversity Appreciation and Communication Customer Service