Wilson Health Nominates Barfield for Healthcare Worker of the Year

Angela Barfield is Chaplain for Wilson Health Hospice. She touches members of our community from before birth to end of life and does so with compassion and a humbling, gracious spirit. Angela leads hospice grief support groups, as well as infant loss support groups. She established Rachel’s Gift at Wilson Health, a non-profit program that helps parents grieving the loss of an infant.

Angela has three beautiful children, one who is a survivor of childhood Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Three years after her oldest child was diagnosed with leukemia, Angela was diagnosed with breast cancer. After undergoing a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation, Angela is now a Breast Cancer Survivor. These life experiences, as both parent and patient, have given Angela a special understanding of the process and importance of care and support, and the criticalness of a caregiver’s role.

GREAT LEADER

Drawing from experience working as an Elementary School Counselor, a Girl Scout leader, and PTO president, Angela has worked with children as a Grief Camp counselor, and facilitated school-age groups. Using her experience as a parent of a cancer survivor, she has volunteered as a parent advocate for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society over the years.

Angela has also volunteered her time as a support group leader for FEMA and for Adult Victims of Childhood Abuse and was a Bible Study Group leader for 17 years. She thrives in a small group setting, and has developed Grief Support Groups for Wilson Health Hospice that meets regularly. While living near Atlanta, GA, where she earned her chaplain certification, she became involved with Rachel’s Gift, a non-profit that helps parents grieving the loss of an infant. In 2019, Angela implemented Rachel’s Gift into Wilson Health Birth Center’s outreach program. She leads this monthly Grief Support Group for the hospital system.

Angela shows leadership by guiding and providing support to those going through the grieving process. She is very kind and compassionate leading each and every person she connects with to healing for the mind, body and soul. 

GOES BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY

Angela goes beyond the call of duty from the time she steps through the doors of Wilson Health. The Family Birth Center had struggled with providing grief support after a pregnancy or infant loss. When Angela joined the Wilson Health team, she met with the Birth Center director and they talked about the opportunity to develop a program for the community. Angela had experience in her past leading a program called Rachel’s Gift, which helps support grieving families who have lost a child. Without hesitation Angela volunteered to take on the lead role in implementing this wonderful program at Wilson Health. The program has been a great success. Angela makes herself available to talk with staff, assisting them on how to provide support during times of need, as well as making herself available for any patient or family member in need. She has touched the lives of these grieving families in such a positive way at the most difficult time of their lives. When called upon, consistently and compassionately Angela’s response is always, “Whatever I can do for these patients and families, I will do.” 

Angela also helps support the annual Hope Launch at Wilson Health every October. This event helps to honor and celebrate those infants that have gone too soon. She is committed and passionate about helping others.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Angela earned her Master’s in Family Ministry from Winebrenner Theological Seminary in Findlay, Ohio, where she also worked. She earned her Chaplain certification while volunteering for Henry Medical Center in McDonough, Georgia, and volunteered for a local hospice, as well as for the Rachel’s Gift program.

Angela’s oldest daughter, Meredith, now a Pediatrician, is a survivor of childhood Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Three years after Meredith was diagnosed with leukemia, Angela was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation, Angela is now a Breast Cancer Survivor. These life experiences as both parent and patient, as difficult as they were, have given Angela a special understanding of the process and importance of care and support, and the criticalness of caregivers roles.