Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/887766
During the last week of September, the Help, Understanding, Guidance and Support (HUGS) program hosts Bo's Camp—a weekend bereavement camp that helps more than 30 families a year deal with life after loss. This is just one way HUGS helps connect those in need with support and care. To learn more about Bo's Camp, visit www. navicenthealth.org/ boscamp. FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, THE HELP, UNDERSTANDING, GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT (HUGS) PROGRAM HAS PROVIDED LEADING-EDGE PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE CARE SERVICES TO CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES DURING DIFFICULT TIMES. THESE VITAL SERVICES ARE MADE POSSIBLE THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF NAVICENT HEALTH FOUNDATION. e HUGS program offers support to families facing life's toughest challenges, such as the loss of a child or care of a child diagnosed with a life-limiting illness. "Every year, our multidisciplinary team of transition counselors, social workers, child life specialists, nurse practitioners, board-certified palliative care physicians and pastoral care members walk with families during seasons of uncertainty and grief," says Rebecca Cogburn, RN, MSN, CEN, CCRN-P, Director, Pediatric Critical Care, Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital, Navicent Health. "Our mission is to enhance quality of life while providing the full spectrum of emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual support to children and their families when conditions become chronic, debilitating or life-limiting." Led by Cogburn, the HUGS team connects patients and their families with resources for the road ahead, including counseling, symptom control, pain management, and recommendations and coordination of healthcare services. A COMPASSIONATE EAR HUGS gives patients and their families a support system to turn to when challenging circumstances occur, so they don't have to face them alone. "Part of my role is to meet with families, listen to them, and ascertain their needs and wants, ultimately ensuring their plan of care is serving them well," says Sebastian Stubbs, LPC, Certified Grief erapist. "We have difficult conversations in a safe space where trust has already been established. I enter into their grief with them so they don't have to experience it alone. We use a proactive approach, so I'm not coming in aer the fact to pick up the loose pieces. I'm with them as they are constructing a picture out of the pieces dealt to them." Stubbs and his fellow HUGS team members educate patients and families about their options. "We want them to feel well-informed about their choices and also feel heard," Stubbs says. "Sometimes, having someone to listen and discuss options within a nonjudgmental environment makes all the difference." HUGS All Around 6 | Impact | NAVICENTHEALTH.ORG/FOUNDATION SUPPORTIVE SERVICES