When someone close to us dies, we’re hardly in the right frame of mind to handle logistics and practical matters. Yet, often, this is the first thing we’re forced to confront. There’s the matter of the deceased’s body and how it will be handled, but also funeral arrangements and ceremonial planning to honor the life…
Evermore Submits Comments to AHRQ on Interventions to Improve Care of Bereaved Persons Bereavement’s long-standing absence from public policy debates and national health priorities, along with its newfound urgency, requires sound leadership and an aggressive agenda to address the substantial challenges confronting our nation’s grieving population. Today, America lacks a comprehensive, coordinated, and evidence-based bereavement…
Federal Government Requests Comments on Interventions to Improve Care of Bereaved Persons In 2023, and as a result of your hard work, Congress directed The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to establish an evidence base for what constitutes high-quality bereavement and grief care. This systematic review will inform an independent subject matter expert…
Congress Recedes on Bereavement Leave in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act Over the last few weeks, many of you called your U.S. Senators seeking their support in allowing the U.S. Armed Forces to return home when their parents die. This bereavement leave would be an added provision to last year’s National Defense Authorization Act…
We Have Achieved So Much Because Of You Ten years ago, no one talked about bereavement‘s impact on us or the trajectory of our lives. Today, bereavement is highlighted in major media outlets, in the halls of Congress, and in our communities. Thousands of people believe in our vision, which has been humbling and…
Visionary & Trailblazing Attorney Kenneth Feinberg Offers Five Reflections On Bereavement After serving thousands of families, victim compensation attorney Kenneth Feinberg offers five reflections on grief and bereavement. By Joyal Mulheron with support from Maddie Cohen Visionary and trailblazing attorney Kenneth Feinberg has long been called upon by U.S. presidents, families, and survivors…
A Grieving Parent Turns Pain into a Purpose Following the death of his teenaged son, Blake, Tom Barklage fought to secure bereavement leave for Johnson & Johnson employees around the world By Maddie Cohen After his son Blake died, Tom Barklage took time off to make space for his grief. Little did he know…
The scale and reach of the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant—with current appropriations of $712,700,000—is indisputable, as 93 percent of pregnant women, 98 percent of infants, and 60 percent of children are touched. While impressive progress has been made in important benchmarks, including the 25 percent decline in infant mortality since 1997, bereavement…
By Terri Schexnayder Five new releases have landed in bookstores and audible programs recently. Each one delivers the topics of grief and loss through unflinching honesty with the author’s personal story—some even include moments of humor. We encourage you to read and share with bereaved family and friends these selected books. Dina Gachman’s…
By Jena Kirkpatrick Jason Edwards grew up in the small town of Graham in West Texas where being gay was not accepted. Pegged as the class ‘gay boy,’ he was bullied relentlessly. His dad tried to spark his interest in sports and Edwards recalled being out on the field spinning around like Wonder Woman. “I…
Open for comment until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday June 2, 2023 One of the most hotly debated topics in bereavement care is whether all grief is normative or a diagnosable condition. For the first time, the federal government is beginning to examine scientific evidence on when grief is normative and when, if ever, does…
By Prerna Shah When a loved one dies, many family members seek bereavement leave to attend to family affairs, their grief, and sort through the many changes that invisibly unfold behind closed doors. It may be surprising to learn that most employees have no legal right to take leave, except in five states in…
In 2022, our community of supporters has grown by more than 50 percent for the second consecutive year. Our movement consists of people from every corner of America – from truck drivers to professors to homeschoolers and executives. We unite in solidarity to create a more compassionate world for those who will follow us. What…
It was the beginning of her junior year at the University of South Carolina (UofSC) when Mairead Peters’ cousin unexpectedly passed away. Not only was Peters just getting settled into her new class schedule, she was now forced to navigate the school year while wading through the shock and pain of her grief. The following…
As many as half of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. Even though 87 percent of women have experienced a miscarriage while employed, an alarming number of women aren’t aware that the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows for time off from work after a miscarriage and stillbirth. These were the findings from a survey conducted…
Earlier this month, Evermore hosted a conversation with Toni Miles, M.D., Ph.D., a grief and bereavement researcher in Georgia and Morehouse School of Medicine adjunct professor, to discuss the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) — a health-related survey of adults that measures certain behaviors, such as seatbelt…
Close the Loophole! – Universal Paid Leave Should Include Bereavement Leave Due Monday, August 15th! Earlier this year, you made phone calls, sent emails, called your friend in order to add paid bereavement leave to our nation’s policy conversations. You did it and it was the first time Washington included paid bereavement leave to…
Grief is a powerful dual-edged emotion that can result in a dull, undulating pain which can be paralyzing and suffocating or, if channeled appropriately, can swell into rage and anger that moves each of us — or societies — to do things that once seemed impossible. Such collective grief, outrage and injustice sparked the “fierce…
For 25 years, visual artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg has comforted families in mourning as a hospice volunteer. And with each new family she’s consoled came lessons about the scope of grief, its impact, and the lack of spaces for people to express their deep sorrow. Firstenberg brings those experiences to her latest work — a…
Tell Congress To Protect Jobs for Newly Bereaved Families Imagine how many families have lost a loved one in the past year. Our nation’s collective grief is inescapable and it has impacted all of us. Today, there are no federal legal protections for newly bereaved families except for narrow exceptions. Congress must act! Workers…
White House Considers Bereavement Leave: ACT NOW! One of the most glaring results of COVID-19 is the lack of systemic bereavement care in the United States. Most Americans who have lost a loved one have no legal right to take leave, paid or unpaid. And this is not a new problem but the pandemic…
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivering “the fierce urgency of Now” during the I Have a Dream speech taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States. The Fierce Urgency of Now: Modernizing Bereavement Care Today, armed American troops guard the heart of Washington, D.C., including the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where Dr. Martin Luther…
For the first time in history, key federal health agencies will report what activities, if any, they are doing to advance bereavement care. Photo by Bob Bowie on Unsplash As Congress shut its doors and fears of COVID-19 swept the nation, a small group of families and professionals worked tirelessly to advance our nation’s bereavement care system. We know…
For too long, too many have considered bereavement as simply a mental health issue. When a family member or loved one dies, those grieving experience a deep sadness as their lives are changed fundamentally forever. Conventional wisdom tells us a bereaved individual or family will eventually “get over it,” “find closure” and “move on.” But,…
As another decade comes to a close and Evermore marks its fifth year working to improve bereavement care in the United States, we have reason to celebrate 2019. Here at Evermore, we made big strides toward building our team and raising awareness about the need to support grieving parents. Meanwhile, across the country, new initiatives…
In one study grieving parents ranked support groups and psychics as the most helpful in coping with their grief. Photo courtesy of Yeshi Kangrang. An expert on grief says bereaved parents shouldn’t discount the benefits One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with the death of a loved one is its finality. Surviving family…
47% of surveyed kids under age 18 believe their life will be harder than it will be for other people. Photo by Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash. Evermore’s next few stories will have a “Back to School” theme focusing on both younger children and college-aged students. We are giving focus to siblings who have suffered the death of…
Julie Kaplow, on the left, serves as the Director of the Trauma and Grief Center in Houston, Texas, will be launching the Handle with Care program for children who have witnessed a death. In August we are focusing on “Back to School” at Evermore. We are giving focus to siblings who have suffered the death…
Bea’s parents — Rachel and Erin Alder say they are “extraordinarily pleased” by Seattle City Council’s unanimous vote for paid bereavement leave and were thankful for the support they received throughout the process. City employees no longer face impossible choice: to mourn their child or keep your job This week, the Seattle City Council passed “Bea’s Law,” which extends…
Child deaths, especially those that occur in mass tragedies, are the subject of significant news coverage. Frank Ochberg, chairman emeritus of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Michigan State University, said that journalists have an important role to play in covering child death and trauma. A pioneer in trauma research shares how news stories…
Photo courtesy of Cynthia H. Craft. An award-winning USA Today reporter talks about why she’s covered child death for so long It’s been nearly 23 years, but USA Today reporter Jayne O’Donnell won’t ever forget the moment. Jayne O’Donnell, health policy reporter, USA Today. After writing a series of articles in 1996 that prompted the…
Photo courtesy of AbsolutVision on Unsplash. Evermore’s founder to speak at journalism conference Raising the visibility about the long-lasting effects on parents and siblings after a child dies is a central goal for Evermore, and Joyal Mulheron, Evermore’s founder and executive director, will do just that when she addresses healthcare journalists in early May. Mulheron will…
Mulheron left her career to immerse herself in the science surrounding the fallout of losing a child at any age or cause. She then started Evermore — a nonprofit to change the national response when a child dies. Evermore organization will tackle why and how More. Bereaved. Families. Every day, news coverage reports the death of sons and…