Left-right: Gerard van Grinsven, President & CEO; Annette Penn, RN;
Linda Fisher, Chief Nursing Officer
I nominate Annette Penn for her exceptional nursing care to women who have had a perinatal loss. She is dedicated to ensuring that all grieving families have the most compassionate care possible. She ensures they will have memories to take home that will keep their baby alive in their hearts and souls.
I was in on a birth with Annette where the baby had died in utero due to a cord accident. The family was devastated but Annette helped the patient and family and coached them through this very emotional time. Annette took exceptional care of the patient and the baby paying extra attention to detail with photos and mementos. For the grieving family she arranged for a private room to spend quality time saying goodbye to an infant they never got to meet. Annette even attended the funeral and the family was grateful that she was there.
Most recently she was able to work with another mother who felt she could not look at or touch her newborn who had also died in utero. By the end of her experience the mother was able to hold and touch and be photographed with her baby. This only happened because Annette took the time to gently work with her. The family may have experienced a loss but they left our care feeling supported, respected and cared for.
Annette has also helped to put together perinatal loss/bereavement program on our unit and arranged a room designated just for this cause. We now have more resources and information and are better able to manage our perinatal losses more effectively and we are able to help families emotionally as well.