GUESTS' CORNER

One of the purposes of the Guest Corner is to provide you, the caregivers, with information that is practical as well as helpful. We are using this issue of WiSSPers to make sure you are aware of two valuable resources and what they can offer both to you and to the families for whom you care — SHARE-Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc., and Bereavement Services/RTS. The following segments, profiling each of these national organizations, were contributed by their respective National Directors, Cathi Lammert and Fran Rybarik, who are also featured in this month’s ‘Personal Portraits’.

WHAT IS SHARE?
SHARE - Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support, Inc. is the official name of an organization that is celebrating its 20th year offering support and understanding to parents/ families whose lives have been touched by the tragic loss of a baby through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth or newborn death. At the present time there are around 115 SHARE groups across the United States and one in England. Many of the groups are connected to a hospital and facilitated by a professional but a good number are led by bereaved parents themselves.

The original group was started by Sr. Jane Marie Lamb, OSF at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, as part of her pastoral care ministry. Through her educational efforts the awareness of parents’ needs was heightened and many hospitals used her advice and guidelines in establishing groups. Sr. Jane Marie continued to guide and counsel new groups and the National Office moved with her when she was reassigned to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville, Illinois. Five years ago, SHARE had grown so that it needed to become an independent not-for profit organization, and the National SHARE Office relocated to St. Charles, Missouri, on the campus of St. Joseph Health Center with Catherine A. Lammert, RN as Executive Director.

Requests for information and support come from bereaved parents, families, caregivers and professionals around the world, and the National SHARE Office offers:

• a listening ear, support and comfort;

• a personal response including a packet of information on miscarriage and/or perinatal death, sent to parents and/or caregivers;

• help in meeting with the nearest local support group through a printout of resource and group list for area;

• help in connecting with other bereaved parents with a similar experience;

• telephone support for bereaved parents and other family members;

• telephone support for friends and others seeking information and understanding of the needs of the bereaved;

• support and information through correspondence;

• information relating to starting a support group — a manual is also available at minimal cost;

• semi-annual leadership training workshops;

• a bi-monthly newsletter for parents, Sharing, to provide support, information and resources, as well as an outlet for their writings and poetry;

• a quarterly professional newsletter, Caring Notes, for group facilitators;

• resources for adults working with bereaved children;

• presentations on various aspects of perinatal bereavement to educate professionals, other interested persons and the community at large, about feelings and needs of bereaved parents;

• a clearinghouse for publications dealing with perinatal bereavement.

The National SHARE Office is also the distributor for the following publications:

Bittersweet . . . Hellogoodbye A Resource in Planning Farewell Rituals When a Baby Dies. Edited by Sr. Jane Marie Lamb.

Thumpy’s Story: A Story of Love and Grief Shared

SHARE-Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support, Inc.
National Office
St. Joseph Health Center
300 First Capitol Dr.
St. Charles, MO 63301
Phone: 314-947-6164; 800-821-6819
Fax: 312-947-7486
http://www.NationalSHAREOffice.com

BEREAVEMENT SERVICES/RTS
RTS is an inter-national perinatal bereavement program which provides training and support materials to multidisciplinary professionals working with parents who have lost a baby through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, or newborn death. We were formerly known as Resolve Through Sharing.

RTS began in 1981 at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Bereaved parents and nurses who cared for their babies in an intensive care setting identified a need for more support for parents who experience neonatal death. By 1984, the program expanded to include stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage, and Gundersen Lutheran was asked to present the program statewide. The program has continued to grow. Currently over 13,000 health care professionals, including nurses, physicians, chaplains, social workers, counselors, clergy and funeral directors, have completed the three day training program called RTS Counselor Training.

Based on the premise that perinatal loss is a unique, lifelong parenting and bereavement experience, the RTS program is actively working to develop a common standard that assures that services are provided to bereaved families through an interdisciplinary and holistic approach.

Parents who call the national office of RTS find compassionate staff who listen, provide written resources, and/or offer referrals to local support groups or RTS-trained health professionals. There are "RTS Counselors" in all 50 states, the Philippines, Switzerland, England, Ireland, Germany, Japan, and Canada since the RTS program began in 1981.

RTS has also developed pamphlets specific to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth and newborn death, booklets for parents about perinatal loss, a book for health care professionals, and a video called "When a Baby Dies."

If you would like more information about RTS training programs or educational materials, please call. The best time to reach us is Monday through Friday, 8am - 4:30 pm central time. A free catalog is available which includes additional support materials developed for general bereavement.

Bereavement Services/RTS
Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center
1910 South Avenue
La Crosse, WI 54601
Phone: 608-791-4747 or 800-362-9567 ext. 4747
Fax: 608-791-5137
Email: berservs@lhl.gundluth.org