Artie Hendricks, senior clinical administrative chaplain at Duke University Hospital, said the annual service is an important one to allow staff, faculty and their friends and family to honor those who have dedicated a part of their lives to the university or system. health.

“Everyone who works here contributes a part of their lives to this place to make it what it is,” Hendricks said. “Duke is the people, first and foremost, and we want to honor that.”

The service is part of Pain Awareness Week November 18-22 and aims to raise awareness of issues related to grief and loss in the workplace and promote strategies for healthy grieving and self-care.

Hendricks emphasized that “not all loss is death” and said people can experience grief for many reasons.

“This is an effort to normalize pain,” Hendricks said. “We all experience this natural human response to loss, and there’s nothing wrong with you if you feel that way.”

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