Chaplaincy Program

Emotional and spiritual support is available to patients and their families from the hospitals’ chaplaincy programs. A healthcare chaplain is an integral member of the healthcare team, making daily rounds and providing objective crisis intervention and competent spiritual support.

Our chaplains visit all newly admitted patients, including those in critical care areas and any patients who request a visit. You need only communicate your wishes to your nurse to have a message conveyed to the hospital chaplain.

Mary Vanderplas is the Chaplain at Leesburg Regional Medical Center. She graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a B.A. in psychology and from Fuller Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. In August of 2008, March graduated from the Clinical Pastoral Education residency program at Florida Hospital in Orlando.

Ron L’Hilliard has been the Chaplain at The Villages Regional Hospital since 2007. He is a graduate of the Institute for Diaconate Studies at La Roche College in Pittsburg, PA. Chaplain Ron became an ordained Permanent Deacon by Bishop John H. Ricard of the Diocese of Pensacola/Tallahassee in May 2000. He has prior experience with Hospice of the Emerald Coast, where he served as bereavement counselor and chaplain.