Search Results: MCH Organizations

Annotation: A Heartbreaking Choice provides resources and support for expectant parents who have received a diagnosis that their unborn child has a serious fetal anomaly or other live-threatening health problem that makes it unlikely that the baby will survive and thrive. For those who have made the decision to end their pregnancy when faced with such a grim diagnosis, this organization provides support groups, an online discussion forum, a confidential list service, an online memorial for grieving parents, personal stories, and feature articles to help these parents cope with their loss.

Keywords: Congenital abnormalities, Fetal death, Grief, Perinatal bereavement, Perinatal mortality, Pregnancy loss, Support groups

Annotation: Aiding Mothers and Fathers Experiencing Neonatal Death (AMEND) offers support and encouragement to parents who have lost an infant. Bereaved parents have one-to-one contact with a trained counselor who has also experienced a loss due to miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death. Several local chapters exist without formal national affiliation. St. Louis AMEND was established in 1974. Los Angeles AMEND was established in 1977 and can be reached at P.O. Box 30, Harbor City, CA 90710-0030; (818) 887-7999. Services to consumers include publications and reference information. Some materials are available in Spanish.

Keywords: Grief, Neonatal death, Perinatal bereavement, Perinatal mortality, Pregnancy loss, Spontaneous abortion, Support groups, Parent support services

Annotation: The Alabama Child Death Review System was created on September 11, 1997 in order to review, evaluate, and prevent cases of unexpected and unexplained child death. ACDRS's mission is to understand how and why children die in Alabama, in order to prevent other child deaths. ACDRS, which includes both state and local child death review teams, focuses on prevention through statistical analysis, education and advocacy efforts, and local community involvement.

Keywords: State agencies, Alabama, Child death review, Infant death, Child death, Infant mortality

Annotation: The American Association of SIDS Prevention Physicians (AASPP) has these objectives: medical education, advocacy, clinical research, career development, and referral networking for medical professionals interested in SIDS and pediatric sleep disorders as well as those involved in the care of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and upon discharge. AASPP holds an annual conference is held each year and is associated with the American SIDS Institute (http://www.sids.org).

Keywords: Child death, Infant death, Research, SIDS, Sleep disorders

Annotation: The Unexplained Infant Death Council assists the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to develop unexplained infant death training and educational programs, to inform the governor and the legislature of the need for specific programs regarding unexplained infant deaths, and to approve and periodically review the infant death investigation checklist. The council consists of 11 members and is staffed by the ADHS Child Fatality Review Program. The council develops protocols for investigations of infant deaths that have no previously diagnosed illness contributing to the death. The protocols specifically address the need for compassion and sensitivity with parents and caregivers, include recommended procedures for law enforcement, and require scene investigations as a component of the infant death investigation.

Keywords: SIDS, Arizona, Child death, Infant death, Infant mortality, State organizations

Annotation: The Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), also known as The Thanatology Association, is an interdisciplinary organization whose members work in the field of dying, death, and bereavement. ADEC offers educational opportunities through its annual conference, courses, workshops, certification program, and publications. The website provides information and resources for members, the public, and the press. Resources include links to organizational websites offering assistance and information on a topics related to grief, trauma, dying, and death, as well as continuing education (including distance education) for professionals.

Keywords: Bereavement counselors, Death, Grief, Professional education, Professional societies

Annotation: The Association for Recognizing the Life of Stillborns (ARLS) offers Certificates of Life (for a fee) to parents who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death. The certificate serves as a substitute for a legal birth certificate and attests to the fact that the baby was once alive.

Keywords: Fetal death, Grief, Perinatal bereavement, Perinatal mortality, Pregnancy loss, Spontaneous abortion

Annotation: The British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (BASPCAN) is a registered charity which aims to prevent physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect of children by promoting the physical, emotional, and social well-being of children. Its aim to promote the rights of children as citizens, through multi-disciplinary collaboration, education, campaigning and other appropriate activities, within its powers and resources. BASPCAN membership is open to all with an interest in, or working in the field of child protection. Members are drawn from social work, medicine, psychology, psychiatry, nursing, legal and law enforcement agencies, probation, and education and academic fields, as well as related welfare and voluntary groups throughout the world. Activities include national and regional study days, conferences, seminars and discussions, and a large international congress every three years.

Keywords: Child abuse, Child death review, Child neglect, Child protection services, United Kingdom

Annotation: The California Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Program is dedicated to Sudden Infant Death support, awareness, and risk reduction. Information is provided on grief and bereavement, SIDS facts, and infant care practices for reducing the risk of SIDS. Information is available for SIDS professionals, SIDS Coordinators, and families. Numerous materials are available in Spanish, and occasionally in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, and VIetnamese. The program is under the direction of the California Department of Public Health, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Division.

Keywords: Advocacy, California, Consumer education materials, Family support, Infant death, Infant mortality, Parent support, SIDS, Spanish language materials

Annotation: The Center for Loss in Multiple Birth (CLIMB, Inc.) is an organization of parents who have experienced the death of one or both twins (or higher multiple births) during pregnancy, birth, infancy, or childhood. The Center provides services to individuals in the U.S., Canada, and abroad which include referrals; a quarterly newsletter; an online discussion forum; a parent contact list; samples of birth/memorial announcements; a library; publications; and assistance to twins clubs, loss groups, authors, and researchers. Some materials are available in French, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. Training seminars are sponsored upon request.

Keywords: Fetal death, Grief, Multiple births, Perinatal bereavement, Perinatal mortality, Pregnancy loss, Spontaneous abortion

Annotation: The Centering Corporation provides grief literature, videotapes, workshops and referrals. The Centering Corporation offers literature through their publications catalog on a number of topics including premature infants, adoption, miscarriage, newborn and child death, and death of a parent. Some materials are available in Spanish. The organization also sponsors workshops and conferences, publishes a magazine, Grief Digest, and provides materials for children.

Keywords: Bereavement, Fetal death, Grief, Perinatal bereavement, Pregnancy loss, Premature infants, Spontaneous abortion

Annotation: The Colorado Child Fatality Review Committee is a multidisciplinary group of professionals representing public health, medicine, law and law enforcement, child welfare, forensics, mental health, and other special interests related to the health and safety of children. The committee has been reviewing all child deaths in Colorado since 1989 to: describe trends and patterns of child death in Colorado, identify and investigate the prevalence of risk factors for child death, characterize high-risk groups in terms compatible with the development of public policy, evaluate the service and system responses to children and families who are at high risk and to offer recommendations for improvement in those responses, and improve the quality and scope of data necessary for child death investigation and review. Specific benefits have resulted from the child fatality review process. These include a better understanding of how children are dying in Colorado, greater accountability among professionals, participation in the development of prevention strategies, statewide child death investigation training, stimulation of policy assessment, and improvement in dialogue with the media.

Keywords: Child death, Colorado, Infant death, Infant mortality, Prevention, SIDS, State agencies

Annotation: Compassionate Friends is a non-profit self-help organization that offers friendship and understanding to families who have experienced the death of a child of any age, from any cause. The group provides support to bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings. Compassionate friends was founded in 1969; the first of 600 U.S. chapters were organized in 1972. The organization offers brochures & videos. Some materials are available in Spanish. The organization also publishes a catalog and a national magazine, and sponsors several regional meetings and a conference each year. Contact the national office for chapter information in your area.

Keywords: Child death, Support groups, Fetal death, Grief, Perinatal bereavement, Perinatal mortality, Pregnancy loss, Spontaneous abortion

Annotation: The Connor Kirby Infant Memorial Foundation provides financial assistance for funeral and cemetery expenses and for therapy sessions to families suffering from the loss of an infant.

Keywords: Infant death, Bereavement, Child death, Family support services, Fetal death, Financial support, Grief, Infant mortality

Annotation: Cribs for Kids was established in 1998 under the guidance of SIDS of Pennsylvania, whose staff realized that most sudden unexpected infant deaths were among low-income families, and most of the infants who died were found on couches, chairs, or adult beds. Cribs for Kids partnered with portable crib manufacturer GRACO Pack N Play.® Currently, Cribs for Kids has more than 350 Partner Programs that provide safe sleep educational materials and portable cribs to families who cannot afford a safe place for their babies to sleep.

Keywords: State organizations, Advocacy, Consumer education, Family support, Infant death, Infant mortality, Parent support, Pennsylvania, SIDS

Annotation: Honored Babies is a support and resource organization for women whose babies have died, whether from miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, pregnancy termination, stillbirth, neonatal death, or infant death. The Web site includes articles, poetry, and reflects from parents who have lost a child; a memorial page; links to online support groups and recommended reading; and a free downloadable brochure for support staff to provide to parents.

Keywords: Fetal death, Grief, Infant mortality, Perinatal bereavement, Perinatal mortality, Pregnancy loss, Spontaneous abortion, Support groups

Annotation: The International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death (ISPID) is a not-for-profit organization that focuses on discovering evidence-based preventive measures for stillbirth and infant death. ISPID is also working to promote improved quality and standardization of care for affected parents. ISPID is devoted to the exchange of information among families, scientists, and other specialists in the field of perinatal and infant health and death as well as educating the community at large. ISPID is an amalgamation of the European Society for the Study and Prevention of Infant Death (ESPID), the SIDS Global Strategy Task Force (GSTF) and SIDS International.

Keywords: Infant death, International agencies, Professional societies, SIDS

Annotation: The International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA) is a non-profit coalition of organizations dedicated to understanding the causes and prevention of stillbirth. The alliance works to reduce the risk of stillbirth and to enhance bereavement care of families who experience stillbirth through public awareness initiatives, community engagement, development and promotion of best clinical practice standards, and facilitating high quality collaborative research. The website contains news, information about events, publications, and other resources for families, health professionals, and researchers.

Keywords: Fetal death, Infant death, Stillbirth

Annotation: Keeping Babies Safe is a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization whose mission is to educate and inform parents on how to keep babies safe from preventable injuries associated with unsafe cribs, dangerous infant products and unsafe sleep environments. It also conducts Project Safe Crib, a non-profit program designed to educate social workers and other health care personnel on safe crib practices as well as helping parents from economically challenged environments obtain safe cribs through health and human service organizations nationwide. It provides an online video about safe sleeping, and provides information about hazards, recalls, and other topics.

Keywords: Infant death, Infant equipment, Prevention programs, SIDS

Annotation: The Lullaby Trust provides specialist support for bereaved families and promotes expert advice on safer baby sleep. It was previously called The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID).

Keywords: Child death, Infant death, International organizations, International programs, Professional resources, Public awareness materials, SIDS, Training, United Kingdom