Lost Hopes & Dreams: New Jersey’s Perinatal Bereavement Training for Community Health

This training is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals in the community setting who provide care and support to New Jersey families experiencing perinatal loss. 

After attending this program, participants will be able to:

• Define the five types of perinatal loss
• Implement communication skills with parents and family members
• Explain the ethical dilemmas that can occur with deaths in the NICU
• Explain best practice for supporting families with pregnancy after loss
• Summarize the documentation required for final disposition
• Describe the steps of memory making for families
• Develop tools for staff and parent follow-up
• State the essential components of discharge education

Target Audience

Perinatal Community Nurses, Doulas, Community Health Workers

Learning Outcome

After attending the program, 85% of attendees will report an increase in knowledge and skill to be able to effectively care for families who experience perinatal loss.

Disclosure/Commercial Support

The planners and speakers do not have any conflicts of interest to report for this activity. There is no commercial support for this activity.

Continuing Nursing Education Contact Hours

This program has been awarded 4.5 contact hours.

The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by New Jersey State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. P194-3/23-26

This program is provided by The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey and jointly provided by Central Jersey Family Health Consortium and Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative

Approval status does not imply endorsement by the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey, Central Jersey Family Health Consortium, Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative, NJSNA or by ANCC of any commercial products discussed/ displayed in conjunction with the educational activity.

Successful Completion

To receive contact hours/CEs for participating in the continuing education program, the participant must be registered, attend the entire program, and complete and submit an online evaluation. A certificate of completion will be distributed within two weeks of the program.

Agenda

• Welcome & Introductions
• Types of Perinatal Loss
• New Jersey Statutes and Legislative Mandates Relating to Perinatal Loss
• Communication with Mothers/Parents; Support for Fathers & Family Members
• Loss in the NICU; Ethics/Periviability
• Pregnancy & Birth After Loss
• Spiritual Support/Multicultural Needs, Values; Memory Making/Photography
• Lunch
• Creation of a Staff Resource Book/Packets for Parents/ Helpful Hints for Paperwork; Electronic Documentation
• Discharge Education
• Care for the Caregiver; Support with Patient Assignments
• Parent Panel/ Debrief from Parent Panel
• Evaluation

Faculty and Author Biographies

Ann Coyle, RNC, CPLC has worked at Virtua for over 40 years as a NICU nurse and Manager of Perinatal Bereavement Programs. She recently obtained a certificate in Grief and Loss Studies through the Center for Loss and Life Transition. She was pivotal in initiating the Palliative Care Program, Rainbow Baby Program and facilitates two support groups for loss parents. She lives in Audubon with her husband, Tom, and is a mother of two and proud grandmother of three.

Kathy Donaldson, MSN, APN, C, WHNP-BC, PMH-C, RNC-OB, C-EFM is a board-certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner with 40 years of practice in perinatal nursing and perinatal bereavement. She is an experienced caregiver and support person and has educated healthcare professionals about perinatal loss both regionally and nationally. Kathy received a Master of Science in Nursing (Health Care of Women track) from the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a certificate in Grief and Loss Studies through the Center for Loss and Life Transition and Colorado State University and is nationally certified in Perinatal Mental Health, Inpatient Obstetrics, and Electronic Fetal Monitoring. Kathy serves as the chairperson of the Education Committee for AWHONN NJ and is a member of the Education and Training Committee for Postpartum Support International’s NJ Chapter.

Kara Hennessy, MSN, RNC-OB is currently an Education Specialist for Obstetrics at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC). Prior to this role, she was a Labor & Delivery nurse at HUMC for 15 years. Kara was one of the founding members of the L&D/NICU Bereavement Committee at HUMC and has been actively involved in Perinatal Loss and Bereavement training since 2014.

Sarah Muller-Robbins, MPH, RN, IBCLC, ICCE is the Director of Clinical Education at the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey. She has 24 years of clinical and public health experience as a nurse, lactation consultant, and community and professional educator in the maternal and child health field. Her experience includes directing community and professional education and direct service care in nonprofit organizations, public health departments, and hospital environments.

Kristen Samuelson has more than eight years’ experience serving hundreds of families from a professional and personal perspective through Three Little Birds Pregnancy & Infant Loss, a peer-led non-profit providing its services at no cost. As Executive Director of Three Little Birds, Kristen manages several virtual and in-person support groups, legacy projects, events and grant/funding/program development. The establishment of a Bedside Bereavement Program has resulted in more than 250 perinatal loss families at five hospitals receiving the support Kristen wished she had when she experienced stillbirth and ectopic loss. Additionally, Kristen has authored three books to support siblings and parents through loss. She also developed the Perinatal Bereavement Training Program that Three Little Birds offers to medical professionals and advocates. The training program focuses on using communication scripts, cultural diversity and humility and basic photography skills to capture the love the family has for their baby, despite the outcome. It is her goal to bridge the gap between patient and provider through education, empathy and empowerment.

Jennie Sherlock-Loeb, MSN, RNC-OB, C-ONQS is the Chief Clinical Officer at the Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative, where she focuses on Clinical Education, Fetal/Infant Mortality Review, and Nursing Leadership. Prior to this role, Jennie served as childbirth educator and bedside nurse in labor and delivery and mother-baby. She achieved her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from West Chester University in 2011, and a Master of Science in Nursing from Drexel University in 2015, with a focus on Nursing Leadership & Health Systems Management. Jennie is board-certified in Inpatient Obstetrics, with a subspecialty in Obstetric and Neonatal Quality and Safety. Jennie utilizes her clinical expertise with the development of educational programs and initiatives.

Cost

Thanks to a generous support from the Forget Me Not Foundation, registration is complimentary for healthcare professionals in New Jersey. Space is limited and registration is required. 

Registration

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