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 attend the Association of Health Care Journalists’ annual conference in Baltimore and participate in a workshop-style session aimed at helping reporters recognize that the far-reaching impact of a child’s death is an urgent public health crisis.
Health Journalism 2019 will draw hundreds of the country’s top healthcare reporters to Baltimore for three-and-a-half days of workshops, panels, roundtables and field trips that cover the latest topics in medical science, health policy, public health, medical education, consumer health and the business of healthcare, according to the association’s website.
“There is so much coverage, and rightly so, about child death, but there is often very little follow-up about what happens to grieving families,” Mulheron said. “We’re eager for the opportunity to share what we know about the aftermath and why this is truly an invisible public health crisis.”
During the workshop, Mulheron will share her expertise and information about researchers and other sources where reporters can get more information for stories they may be working on.
After a child’s death, studies show that grieving parents are more likely to suffer from depression, marital disruption, psychiatric hospitalization and premature death. For siblings, researchers also link the death of a brother or sister to a higher risk for agitated depression, chronic illness, guilt, lower self-esteem and performance at work and school and premature death.
At the same time, there is little safety net for families who need time to mourn their child. The Family and Medical Leave Act, for example, does not list child loss as a qualifying event for job protection, and more than half of employers allow their workers to take just three days of paid leave to grieve a child.
“These are the kinds of eye-opening issues and statistics that I plan to share during the workshop,” Mulheron said. “We hope that the information will encourage journalists at the conference to start looking more deeply at this very important issue.”
The panel will be moderated by Jayne O’Donnell, the award-winning healthcare policy reporter for USA Today. O’Donnell has explored the causes of child death in her work and was behind a series of articles in 1996 that prompted the federal government to make airbags safer for children. O’Donnell first wrote about Mulheron and her work in 2016.
Two other guests will join Mulheron:
Brie Zeltner is a health reporter at the Cleveland Plain Dealer with an interest in the lifelong health effects of poverty on children and families. She has written extensively about lead poisoning and infant mortality.
George Hobor is a program officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a New Jersey-based nonprofit focused on health. He works to promote healthy and more equitable communities, “using the power of data and research to find solutions to social-economic conditions that affect community health, such as residential segregation, housing security, and social mobility,” according to the foundation’s website.
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 daughters of all ages dying from an array of causes. And the coverage continues. Last week I, like many others, was thunderstruck by the news that Jeremy Richman, Sydney Aiello and Calvin Desir had died.
More. Bereaved. Families.
I know these families’ lives, like my own and many others, are forever divided into two categories:
Life Before and Life After.
But most of all, I have come to know unambiguously, that more could — and should — be done to help bereaved families in the United States.
Observing from the sidelines is no longer an option.
My own Life After started in 2010 after the death of my daughter. And, over time, as I watched the news that detailed the death of yet another child — from the Sandy Hook massacre and Aurora Theater shooting to the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Hadiya Pendleton — I had a very real sense of the heartache, injustices, and lifelong challenges these families would face. I was hit with the conviction that I must do something — even if I did not yet know what that might be.
I decided to leave the only career I had ever known and began to immerse myself in the science surrounding the implications of losing a child and the stories of those left behind.
Americans from all walks of life graciously and patiently shared with me how their lives were changed by one of life’s most tragic experiences. I have had the honor of learning from families, medical providers, members of law enforcement, therapists, researchers, employers, and many more.
And now’s the time to get off the bench to share what I’ve learned and launch a national conversation about child death, its implications, so we can address it for what it is:
a public health crisis.
To raise awareness, encourage funding and push for change, I founded Evermore — a nonprofit that recognizes that when a child dies, what happens next can make all the difference.
Personal Stories, Factual Analysis
We will use this platform as part of our campaign to de-stigmatize the issues bereaved parents face and advise practitioners, employers and others on what bereaved families need (and don’t need).
Evermore has a unique perspective to offer our nation, our communities and our families. We are able to not only share individual anecdotes, but also provide factual analysis informed by research and partnerships with leading scientists and policy experts.
You will see what we see, including how we, as Americans, can and do stand by our families, neighbors, and communities during tragedy.
In a time when our nation seems to be marked by division and dissent, this will be a place where families — and those who support them — can see hope, help and love. You will be able to learn from one another and find solace in sharing stories of slog and promise. This blog will also be a forum to highlight providers who work with families: those who bear the burden of telling parents and those who absorb our traumas. This blog will be authentic and genuine.
Evermore’s Ground Rules
There are a few key rules, however…
Every child counts. Whether young or old, before independent life has begun or as an octogenarian, every grieving parent and family deserves to be acknowledged, supported and offered the opportunity to cope with “us.” Whether felon or Park Avenue, we share a common humanity based upon the invisibility of our love, the uniqueness of our children, and how we brave the world without them.
Siblings count too. Siblings, young and old, are often forgotten. They, too, deserve to be acknowledged and supported for their loss.
Everyone has a role to play. Every community organization — public or private — has a role to play. From emergency responders to medical examiners, funeral homes to hospitals to employers. From grocers to recreational centers to caregivers and everyone in between, each institution can support families in their own ways. We hope all will join us in making this change.
We hope you will tune in regularly and give us feedback on the issues addressed and the personal stories covered. Too many people look away. Thank you for reading. We promise to do all we can to make it worth your time.