In December of 2020, VNA admitted our very first patient to our pediatric hospice program, VNA’s Children’s Haven. VNA was asked by Children’s Health to help provide the much-needed support of their terminally ill patients. VNA joined with Children’s Health to develop this program under the leadership of Olivia Rogers, Michelle Donell, Sarah Harris and Aaron Hailey, as well as Gail Meyer, and that initial team has grown to quite a large pediatric hospice team today. This is because our dedicated VNA staff jumped in and volunteered to join the pediatric team. Dr. Newcomer is leading the team of nurses, social workers, chaplains and bereavement support. The response has been so positive and the need so great that we engaged the help of a child life specialist, Beth Stoddard, as well as a northern case manager and PRN pediatric nurse from Children’s Health to the team. We have developed a wonderful relationship with the Children’s Health team with the goal of providing excellent care to this younger patient population and continuing our mission to serve the most vulnerable in our community. VNA is able to support seriously ill pediatric patients and their families from prenatal care to 21years of age in the comfort of their homes. We are currently managing 5-8 patients, and we look forward to watching this program grow! We extend a heartfelt thanks to our pediatric nurses Amanda Pyles, Michelle Miraglia, Delaney Wayland and Kara Miller, and to our social services team members Mark Melton, Susan Bryan, Nancy Stanley, Paula Olive and Kevin Moore. Our Managing Directors Lainie Caldwell and Michelle Donnell work with Aaron Hailey on all pediatric referrals to help this program reach its full potential!
To learn more about VNA’s Children’s Haven click here.