The Forgotten Mourner: Including Children at End-of-Life

Dana has been in the field of Child Life for over 20yrs. She began her career in Omaha, Nebraska at Children's Hospital working in various Child Life roles that included both in-patient and out-patient settings. She came to Prisma Health 4 years ago, hired to develop the Children of Adult Patient position. In those 4 years, she has supported over 1300 adult consults with nearly 80% of those offering end of life support to children. Educating healthcare professionals on the importance of including children at end of life and how to best support grieving children has become one of her greatest passions!

Kristen has been a Certified Child Life Specialist for almost 10 years and has practiced for 9.5 years. She started her career as PRN and quickly transitioned to full time. Throughout Kristen’s career, she has covered multiple areas on inpatient, including: general peds, epilepsy monitoring unit, PICU, and surgery. She has a bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Development from Georgia Southern University and a Master’s of Art in Human Services Counseling with a concertation in Marriage and Family Therapy. 

Memory has worked as a Certified Child Life Specialist for Prisma Health for the last 14 years. She served in PICU, Hem/Onc and the general inpatient units for several years but has spent the last 8 years as a part of the Supportive Care Team (pediatric palliative care), specifically currently working with families in the NICU and as part of the fetal care team. She has her Master's Degree in Child & Family Studies.