About Us
A
letter from the Executive Director, Betty Connal
To download the letter
in MS Word, click here.
Our Mission:
The mission of Sudden
Infant Death Services Mid-Atlantic is to support family members
and others who have been affected by the sudden death of an infant
and to provide outreach and education to help prevent infant deaths.
SIDS MA provides:
- Support to families who have suffered the death of an infant.
If you have lost a baby, please contact us and we will send you
materials on coping with an infant loss, and resources for emotional
support. The death of an infant may provoke serious feelings
of guilt, self-incrimination and inadequacy in family members
and caregivers. Parents need the reassurance that the emotions
they are experiencing are normal and a part of the healing process
after such a traumatic loss. We are here to help you cope with
this loss.
- Our support group meets the first Thursday evening of every
month, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the McLean Presbyterian Church at 1020
Balls Hill Road in McLean Virginia. The support group is
free, open to anyone grieving the loss of a baby due to any cause
and is facilitated by a professional grief counselor.
- Our annual "Celebration of Remembrance" every fall
provides an opportunity for bereaved families to join together
in remembering the babies we have lost.
- Training and education regarding risk reduction and prevention,
including programs on Sudden Infant Death for health care providers,
nurses, child care providers, emergency department staff and first
responders, bereavement trainings and other programs.
- Programs available include:
•
Keys to a Healthy
Baby
•
Sudden Infant
Death for Emergency Department Personnel
•
Sudden Infant
Death for Child care Providers
•
Sudden Infant
Death for Health Care Providers
•
Sudden Infant
for Nursery and Post-Partum Nurses
•
Grief and Loss
in Pregnancy and the First Year of Life
•
Prematurity: It's
a Bigger Problem Than You Think
•
Five A's Smoking
Cessation Programs
•
Perinatal Substance
Abuse
•
Infant Development
in the First Year of Life
- Please contact Betty Connal at bconnal@aol.com if you are interested
in any of our our training programs.
- The "Cribs for Kids" program provides new portable
cribs to needy families to help prevent infant deaths. We
have provided over 2500 portable cribs since beginning the program
in 2004, and NO family who has received a crib through this program
has subsequently suffered an infant death. For a donation
of $50, you can help save a baby's life by funding a crib.
We dedicate ourselves
to:
* Providing support and information to families experiencing a sudden
infant death.
* Providing educational materials, seminars, and other aids to parents,
first responders, health care professionals, the clergy and the
public.
* Promoting and supporting medical research into the cause and prevention
of infant death.
We offer:
One-on-One Peer Support
Bereavement Resources
Support Group Meetings
Newsletter
Memorial Events
Special Events
Education & Public Awareness
SIDS Mid-Atlantic participates
in associations and partners with many organizations working to
end the tragedy of SIDS and other infant deaths, and to improve
the health of women, families, and infants.
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