IMPACT (Infant Maternal Perinatal Advanced Care Team)
The 2018 pilot partnership between Mount Sinai Hospital, Sick Kids Hospital, and Emily’s House children’s hospice, has since advanced to become a permanent program named IMPACT.
IMPACT stands for Infant Maternal Perinatal Advanced Care Team. It is a multi-disciplinary team that provides support to families who have received a life-threatening diagnosis for their babies during pregnancy. The IMPACT Grief Support Coordinator meets families early in their pregnancy and continues to provide support after their loss. In this fiscal year, the IMPACT Grief Support Coordinator connected with 49 families to support them through their pregnancy journey. She stays in touch with families for years after their loss and continues to provide support.
IMPACT continued to expand the ways they provide grief support and resources to families. Last year, IMPACT hosted their first memorial to remember the little lives lost too soon. The memorial was held virtually, as many patients live across the province, and it enabled more families to participate. IMPACT created an individual beaded ornament with each baby’s name on it to be placed on a memorial tree during the service. The team then mailed these ornaments out to families, for them to keep in memory of their baby. Families shared: “The service was wonderful. Even though it was a sad occasion, seeing the effort that was place in it made it worthwhile;” and, “I felt my baby is not forgotten.”
IMPACT developed a grief and bereavement resource package customized to the highly unique patient population. The team identified that while families receive lots of information and support during their time in hospital, often they are in a state of shock and grief that prevents them from being able to fully absorb information. Each family who experiences a loss receives a personalized card signed by each member of the team, letting them know they are remembered. These cards are accompanied by a package containing information on a number of different supports and answers to common questions. This package is sent out a few weeks after their loss, once they have been discharged and are settling in back home. Some of the information in the package includes: a letter to the birthing parent; a letter to their partner, whose grief often goes less recognized than that of the birthing parent; information on peer support networks and groups; information on seeking professional counselling services; book recommendations that have been shared by other grieving families. Support for questions and anxiety surrounding future pregnancies. One family shared: “This package was the most helpful thing we received. We were given so much information, and had so much support in the first short while after our loss. This package arrived in the mail at just the right time, as things were starting to settle down, when we felt we needed some help.”
Program Impact Statistics:
- From April 2023 – March 2024, 55 families were referred to the IMPACT program.
- The IMPACT Grief Support Coordinator reached out to 116 bereaved families to offer support.
- Eleven babies were remembered at the first IMPACT memorial, with many parents, extended family members, and friends joining to honour their little lives. Members of their care teams also joined. Maternal Fetal Medicine, Neonatology, and Nursing all shared thoughts and reflections during the service.
