Heart to Heart: Co-Designing a Parent Support Program

Darla Cohen, BS, MS, CPXP, Project Manager Patient Experience, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health
Dana Hartman, MSN, PNP-CP, Pediatric Cardiology Nurse Practitioner, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Heatlh
Stacey Snellenbarger, MSN, FNP-C, Family Advisor/Parent, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health

When families receive a devastating diagnosis that their child has a life-threatening medical condition, their lives are forever changed. Research is clear that families experience PTSD, higher levels of anxiety and depression and an increased need for emotional support. A parent whose child was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome shared her idea for providing support from one parent to another with her nurse practitioner. With the help of the hospital’s project manager for patient experience, the Single Ventricle Heart Mentors program was launched. Join this webinar to hear how a parent-to-parent model supporting families who have children with life-threatening medical conditions is effective in stress reduction.