For immediate release
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      (CITY) (Date) - Expectant mothers now have somewhere to turn for counseling, care and support when they know that their baby will be born with life-threatening conditions.  This support is not only available for themselves and the baby but the entire family as well.  (Organization) created the Perinatal Palliative Care Program in 2001 to supplement the Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Program begun in 1991.  Palliative care is a science and art of lessening physical, psychosocial, and emotional suffering that can affect the child as well as the family.  The overall goals of palliative care may include providing comfort, prolonging life or maximizing the quality of life that remains for the child.
      (Name), a licensed clinical social worker with Hospice (Name) for 11 years, spearheads this program for expectant parents, receiving referrals from many sources including expectant parents, genetic counselors, perinatologists, neonatologists and Dr. (Name), a renowned geneticist and ethicist with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.  Nurses and obstetricians may refer expectant parents to the program as well.
      “There is no other program in (Name of city) helping moms day in and day out,” (Name of social worker) said, referring to the difficulty in making decision about how to care for a baby with a terminal illness.  (Organization’s) Perinatal Palliative Care Program helps the whole family through the pregnancy, birth, anticipated brief life of the baby and bereavement.  “We are like coaches,” (Name of social worker) added, “to help the family cope.  We talk about the resources out there,” to help the family access their own tools for dealing with the daily aspects of caring for the baby.  The most important thing is the baby and making a decision around him/her.
      If the baby is well enough after birth to come home, the social worker that has been providing support to the family throughout the Perinatal Palliative Care Program continues that support to the family and the baby through the Children’s hospice Program.  This continuity of support is available through the bereavement period as well.  Families also call upon additional medical, emotional and spiritual support from any one of the other interdisciplinary team members – nurses, chaplains or volunteers – and they are also encouraged to use support systems they may already have in place including schools, churches or synagogues.  The program can easily be tailored to meet the unique needs of the baby and the family and to fill in the gaps with resources.
      It is through advanced technology that more expectant parents know the status of their baby’s health and face the challenge of accepting and resolving these special needs.  “We help families redirect their hope,” (Name off social worker) said, so that they can focus on the priority of all parents – loving and caring for the baby while involving siblings and the extended family in the experience.
      Care and support for the family continues for two years after the death of the baby.  Many couples become expectant parents again during this period and are able to seek the input of genetic counselors.  Any family in need of these special services is encouraged to apply.

For information about (Organization’s) Perinatal Palliative Care Program, call:
(Name of social worker: Phone number, Organization)
Admissions Desk: (Phone number, Organization)
Or click on www.nameoforganization.org