Tanner News

For a parent, losing a pregnancy or newborn baby is a loss like no other.

A new partnership with the nonprofit Rachel’s Gift will allow Tanner Health System to provide these families with even more support.

Rachel’s Gift provides support and resources to families who have lost a child or pregnancy to stillbirth, miscarriage or other complications following a stay in the NICU.

“We’re very grateful to partner with Rachel’s Gift,” said Natalie Potter, RN, IBCLC, the nurse educator for women and children’s services at Tanner. “This organization is a beautiful program that provides not only training for hospital staff — equipping us to care for families experiencing this type of loss — but also provides support, resources, meaningful keepsakes and follow-up care to grieving families.”

Rachel’s Gift is a Georgia-based, nonprofit perinatal bereavement organization that partners with hospitals to provide specialized care and support to families enduring the loss of a pregnancy or the loss of an infant.

With a comprehensive curriculum, Rachel’s Gift also supports caregivers by providing compassionate bereavement training and education to prepare them to help guide grieving parents and families on a path toward healing.

Through the partnership, Tanner’s maternity centers also provide families with follow-up care and access to a network of support groups, resources, grief counseling experts and more.

If the family wishes, Tanner can also provide keepsakes for parents to remember their baby.

“These special items help us care for these babies with the dignity and respect they deserve, while also allowing us to create some memories for their families to keep as they navigate this difficult type of loss. The resources provided assist families on their journey toward healthy grieving and healing,” said Potter.

Every October, Tanner Health System raises awareness for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month by remembering the infants who have passed away and the families grieving their loss.

On Oct. 15, Tanner Women’s Care will host a ceremony at its Painted Rock Remembrance Gardens in Carrollton and Villa Rica for parents and families to remember the loved ones they’ve lost.

Tanner’s remembrance gardens are located on the Tanner Daytime Walking Trails at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton and Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica.

The ceremonies are open to all who have lost an infant or pregnancy.

With support available across the health system, no family is ever alone.

According to Potter, she and her team work closely with the health system’s chaplains, women’s care team, pediatric providers, labor and delivery physicians, and nursing staff to ensure every family has the support they need.

Tanner has maternity centers at Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica and Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, home to the only Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in west Georgia: the Sally and John Francis Tanner Neonatal ICU.