We know that being hospitalized is not just a physical experience. Illness affects your life and your family, and may cause you to reflect on your values, beliefs, and goals.

At Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, our Spiritual Care department has professionally trained chaplains who are able to provide emotional and spiritual support to you, regardless of your faith, culture, or spiritual tradition. We are available to simply listen, or can offer a prayer or blessing, if requested.

For family members and friends, we offer a beautiful Chapel and Spiritual Center located on the second floor of the Anderson Lucchetti Hospital. This space is designed to welcome persons of all spiritual traditions. Additionally, as part of our Spiritual Care Service, we have created a downloadable Bereavement Brochure to help you cope with the pain of loss.

• Healing After Loss (PDF) English | Spanish

Clinical Pastoral Education

Spiritual Care at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento also provides ACPE Certified CPE™ (Clinical Pastoral Education). This educational program is accredited by ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Staff

Rev. Kate Kennedy

Kate Kennedy is an ACPE Certified Educator and a Board-Certified chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC). She is the Educator for the CPE program in the Spiritual Care Services Department. Originally from Philadelphia, Kate completed her undergraduate degree at Villanova University and received her Master of Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA. She is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister with two decades of chaplaincy experience in several healthcare contexts, including her CPE Residency at John Muir Health in Concord, and as a chaplain and educator with VITAS Hospice, Stanford Health Care, and Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento. Kate serves as Co-Chair of the Inclusion Council and Team Lavender for Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento and is a core team member of the Multicultural Resource Group for Sutter Health.

Rev. Paul McNamee

Paul McNamee is a Board Certified chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains. He is a Roman Catholic priest having been ordained in Ireland. He received his Master of Theology degree from St Patrick’s Pontifical College. He has 25 years of pastoral experience as a priest in Ireland. Paul completed a residency year in Clinical Pastoral Education at University of California, San Francisco Medical Center after which he was employed at UCSF as an Emergency Department Chaplain. He moved to Sacramento in 2012 to take up his present position as a chaplain at SMCS. As a member of the Palliative Care team, he provides spiritual care on the adult ICUs, as well as meeting the Sacramental needs of Catholic patients throughout the hospital.

Rev. Perry Mayforth

Perry Mayforth is a Board Certified chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains and an ordained Baptist minister endorsed by the North American Baptist Conference. He received his MA in Christian Education  from Talbot School of Theology. . Perry completed his Clinical Pastoral Education training at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento in 2015, after doing a two year residency. Perry has worked as a chaplain in multiple contexts including hospice and hospital. He joined the spiritual care team at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, in 2024 as a Palliative Care chaplain on the adult units.

Rev. Dr. Yong Garcia

Yong Garcia is an ordained Baptist minister now serving the Evangelical Covenant Church. She received her Master of Theology degree from Fuller Seminary and additional training at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary for her Doctor of Ministry. After twenty-five years of church leadership, Yong completed two years of Clinical Pastoral Education at SMCS from 2019-2021 in order to move into professional chaplaincy. She then worked at Mercy General Hospital for two years prior to joining our Spiritual Care department’s permanent staff. She has additional training in Palliative Care and serves as one of our Palliative Care chaplains. Her primary area of responsibility is our Women’s and Children’s Center, particularly our pediatric Intensive Care patients. She is also a member of the Fetal Therapy Board.

Tamara Bahlhorn

Tamara Bahlhorn is an Endorsed Episcopalian chaplain and the mental health chaplain at Sutter Center for Psychiatry (SCP). She has a master’s degree in psychology from Cappella University, and she is certified in Television and Radio Broadcasting. She completed two years in Clinical Pastoral Education at the University of California Davis Medical Center, then worked as a chaplain for five years at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento. During her first year with Sutter Health in 2016, she worked as the Palliative Care chaplain at Sutter Davis Hospital and at SCP. Presently, Tamara is the sole chaplain at SCP where she provides individual and group sessions on grief, loss, navigating change, and caring for the human spirit. Tamara serves as co-lead for the SCP Inclusion Council and the Trauma-Informed Recovery Team as well as being a member of the SMCS Inclusion Council. She has extensive training in suicide prevention and is one of the Sutter Health ASSIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) educators. Tamara additionally provides mental health education for SMCS CPE residents.