Working in the Delivery Room for 25 years, I have seen a lot of exceptional acts of kindness, dedication & passion for Women's Health, but what the Bereavement Committee has done in the last two years really makes me so proud! They have taken what is often one of the hardest days in a family's life and have implemented resources, increased staff knowledge, provided enhanced bereavement photography, acquired beautiful, meaningful remembrance mementos, assembled miscarriage support kits, raised money, and provided mental health support for the staff caring for these patients. They are amazing!
***

I have worked in the Delivery Room for over 25 years, but what has truly moved me is the dedication to empathetic care that our Bereavement Committee has shown. In the two years that they have been a committee, they have broadened the emotional support and bereavement education of the staff, so that we can give the best care to our patients on one of the hardest days of their life. They raised money and put together miscarriage kits for families experiencing early pregnancy loss that would be treated in various hospital areas. Staff have been trained in special photography and lighting to provide respectful remembrance photos. Families can now have a beautiful picture to place in a keepsake box. Special remembrance jewelry and mementos have been purchased and given to the patients. The committee sends personalized cards to families at 3- and 6-months post-discharge. They have researched community partners that offer donated or low-cost arrangements for families of every faith in several different areas in the city and surrounding regions. They are a really special group, and I am truly proud of them.
***

I am writing to ask for your consideration of our Bereavement Committee for a DAISY Team Award. The impact of the Bereavement Committee has been felt in all areas of our organization since its inception. Many perinatal nurses expressed discomfort with bereavement care and shared the desire to grow in this field of nursing practice. Before the committee was formed, we were unfamiliar with many of the resources that were available to our staff and patients. I’d like to share three stories with you that show the leaps and bounds we have made over a very short period, and how they reflect the areas of impact that your foundation values.
I transitioned from a full-time night shift staff nurse in Labor and Delivery to the Clinical Practice Leader (CPL) for L&D and High-Risk Antepartum. I found it difficult not to physically care for patients any longer and was trying to find my place in the leadership team. I remained on the Bereavement Committee as a facilitator, as I have a special place in my heart for this aspect of L&D nursing care. During that first month, our high-risk outpatient nurse coordinator, Alexa, reached out to let me know of a patient coming in who had received a serious diagnosis and had a few special requests. The nurse explained how meaningful a particular keepsake had been to the patient and her family previously, and although she knew we might not be able to do the same, she would be happy with any of our bereavement care. I turned to Sam Krugle, my officemate and co-CPL (the nursing leader of the bereavement committee), after I read the e-mail and simply said, “we’re doing this.”
I greeted the patient and family when they arrived. Together, we listened to a song that had been part of their earlier experience, and I was able to create a new version of that same keepsake for this baby they would not take home. The response I received from her afterward was proof that the Bereavement Committee is doing wonderful things. She shared how much it meant to them and thanked us repeatedly. I know this would not have come to fruition if the committee hadn’t existed. Not only did we support the patient and her family, but we also incorporated an innovative new bereavement support we can offer to all our patients. We also forged a stronger relationship with the outpatient office, evidenced by the next example.
Later that year, a family experienced a stillbirth. We provided our normal bereavement care, which includes creating a small pendant with the baby’s footprints. During a follow-up visit, the family shared that they were struggling with funeral arrangements due to unexpected financial costs. The outpatient nurse notified us of the situation, and Sam contacted a non-profit organization we work with. Through that partnership, we were able to help the family apply for assistance, and the foundation helped cover the expenses. We would never let a patient face hardship alone, and this collaboration allowed us to extend that support.
Finally, I’d like to offer a story in which our committee’s commitment to equity is represented. A non-English-speaking family who experienced a loss needed help arranging services. Another nursing leader on the Bereavement Committee, Margie Gardner, spent days helping coordinate the arrangements through our community partner to ensure everything was culturally sensitive and appropriate. This family had limited resources and support, but because of the Bereavement Committee, they were treated with dignity and respect. Their relief was evident when everything was complete.
In conclusion, it is clear how the Bereavement Committee has made an impact on these patients and their families. However, I must also share how much this has changed our committee members. We struggled for so long with feeling as though we couldn’t provide enough for our patients. We didn’t know the right things to say, how to support grieving families, or what to give them when they weren’t bringing home the babies they expected. Now that we have taken photography classes, achieved certifications in perinatal bereavement, and formed relationships with the surrounding community, we have increased our resources and strengthened the memory-making items we can give our patients. We have learned gentle photography techniques, create memorial jewelry, help families with keepsake activities, and send sympathy cards signed by the nurses who cared for them close to anniversaries or due dates to show families that we never forget them.
To fund our efforts, we held two bake sales where we showcased the items donations would support—specifically, our miscarriage kits. Sam identified a need for patients experiencing early pregnancy loss who often received little to no bereavement care. We put together drawstring bags filled with self-care items and comfort materials. The kits have been distributed to patients in outpatient offices, the emergency department, short procedure unit, PACU, and other areas across the hospital. Having given out many of these kits myself, I can confirm that families are very grateful to receive them. Many have shared that no one ever gave them anything like this when they experienced loss in the past.
I implore you to reward this committee with the accolades that it deserves and acknowledge this difficult work. We are comprised of over 20 nurses from the outpatient office, L&D, antepartum, and postpartum, social workers, child life specialists, and physicians. The Team DAISY Award is a perfect representation of our work, which has affected countless patients and staff members across our organization. Having worked at Jefferson for 20 years, I see the ways we have evolved and changed over time and what leaps and bounds our bereavement care has taken in just the past five years.
Thank you for your time and consideration!