University Hospital

Perinatal Bereavement Program

Education

Parent Panel

A yearly Parent Panel is a program offered to hospital employees and the community at large who are interested in learning how to best support a family through a perinatal loss.  The panel is compromised of parents who have gone through the loss of one or more babies through newborn death, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, or stillbirth.  They tell their stories about what happened, how their experience was handled at their care facility, what went well and what could have made the experience easier.  It is an anticipated, informative, helpful experience for all attending to learn how to best support these families.  Many of our program changes and changes in practice and attitude have come from these families’ suggestions and from the generous sharing of their experiences.

RTS Perinatal Bereavement Program Training

An opportunity for health care worker at our hospital as well as outside our facility or anyone interested, to come and take advantage of specialized training through RTS Perinatal Bereavement Program Training out of Gunderson Lutheran Hospital in Wisconsin, to become either a trained Perinatal bereavement support person or a Perinatal bereavement coordinator .  This is a 2-3 day conference packed with information on current theory and practice, practical information and techniques that help care providers do a better job of supporting the patient and family in a perinatal bereavement situation.

Every new staff orientee is given instruction and an overview of the Perinatal Bereavement Program at their orientation.

Staff receives ongoing information through regular staff meetings and in-services to keep perinatal bereavement practice fresh and energized.