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Dear Family,
This poem by Dr. Ruth Hitchcock expresses the condolences felt by staff here at the Children’s Hospital at Providence:
I can’t say anything that will make things better,
but I can be there with you and share your anger,
the pain, and the bewilderment.
Most of all, I can let you know that I care
and that I won’t abandon you.
From: “A collection of Letters to Bereaved Parents”
Published by the Centering Corporation: Omaha, Nebraska
Children's Hospital Bereavement Council
The Children's Hospital at Providence has an active Bereavement Council composed of parents, physician, nursing and support leaders. Together, we developed an integrated program supporting families who experience the loss of a pregnancy, infant, or child in the hospital.
Each year the bereavement council hosts a Walk to Remember in August. It is an annual ceremony to honor those children who have died and their families. This year it will be held August 15, 2009 in the morning. We will gather at the Ambulatory Surgery desk near the Emergency Department. There will also be a ceremony at the Columbarium this summer for families who have lost babies in utero on Tuesday, July 28, 2009, at 1 p.m., we will hold a burial and memorial service at the Columbarium at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Wasilla to remember miscarried, stillborn and ectopic pregnancy losses.
The loss of a pregnancy can be a life-changing time in the life of a woman and her loved ones. We would be honored to have you join us for this event, in hopes that it may be a time of healing. We also understand if this is something you choose not to do at this time. Know that you are always welcome to visit the Columbarium. The gate is locked, to prevent vandals, but you can contact Susan Halvor or the chaplain office for the code 970-212-2993.
In addition, we support community-led iniatives for support to families after discharge from the hospital. We actively support by recommending families use the services of:
• Parents Reaching Out, for losses during pregnancy and at birth
• Compassionate Friends, for losses of a child at any age
• C.L.I.M.B., for losses of one or more infants or children in a mutltiple birth
• The Forget-Me-Not Center, a program affilated with Hospice of Anchorage to help children as survivors of a loved one
We are also grateful to community groups who wish to support the Children Hospital's efforts by creating quilts, hand-stamped cards and folders, bereavment gowns, etc. Please contact Child Life or call 212-3014 if you are interested in supporting the Children's Hospital Bereavment Council with donations of time, talents, or other resources.
• Center for Loss in Multiple Births
• Compassionate Friends
• Forget Me Not Group
• Books About Grief
• Parents Reaching Out
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