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Ed Yeates ReportingAt St. Mark's Hospital, the hands of caregivers -- all 1600 of them -- were touched in a special way today.
Big hospitals like this represent high tech western medicine at its best, but what happened today is a most unusual side of the healing process here.
Two Horses, an Arapaho Native American joined Catholic, Islamic, Protestant, Unitarian, LDS, and other religious groups to bless the hands of those who work at the hospital, hands that touch, check, bandage, cut, and stitch; hands that try to make things better, that try to heal.
Two Horses: "May you be love and grace for all the people who come to you."
From rituals with sage, cedar and songs, calling upon Native American spirits, to simple blessings that draw upon values to soothe and heal, health care workers moved through the annual line for the "Blessing of the Hands."
Robyn Johnson, Registered Nurse: "I don't know. I guess it just gives you a sense of peace, and we're constantly using our hands."
Jay Vance, Respiratory Therapist: "You feel empowered by each one. I mean, we need lots of help to help patients heal and help their families to heal."
Two Horses: "May the creator who formed these hands use their touch to comfort those you heal."
This is the fifth year St. Mark's has done this, and based on the response from hospital workers, it's not about to end.
Michelle Pola, Registered Nurse: "I haven't been doing it all five years. I just started last year, and it's been a good year."
Western Medicine may be highly skilled and sophisticated, but the mind-body connection, no matter what you believe, has become an essential part of the recipe here.
The Blessing Of The Hands ceremony has now become a regular part of National Hospital Week.
