Children's Hospitals Today - Summer 2016 - 11

program in Michigan and one of the few in the country. To date, it has served the needs of more 100,000 families. About 300 volunteers help educate more than 6,000 families annually by visiting new parents at the hospital and at home, providing follow-up phone calls and leading parent groups. Volunteers visit all first-time parents and offer them the opportunity to sign up for two services, which include individual family support and parent groups. For individual family support services, parents receive weekly phone or email support and education during the first two to three months postpartum. Home visits are also offered. Parent group services start when babies are between 3 to 5 months of age, and group members meet bi-monthly for six months. During meetings, families Beaumont's Parenting Program developed a program focused on postpartum depression. In 2012, the program began offering free in-room car seat safety education to new parents. All of the Parenting Program's services are provided at no cost. Jason Pyciak's daughter, Natalie, spent the first five months of her life in the NICU. Beaumont's program helped support him during that time, and now he supports parents who are going through similar situations. "I can show them things do get better because we've been there," he says. "By the end of our meeting, there are a lot of smiles, and hopefully even some laughter and new friendships formed." learn about CPR, nutrition, child safety, common childhood illnesses, infant massage, development and temperament. Specialty groups are also offered for single mothers, families of multiples, NICU families and parents struggling with postpartum depression. To manage and train volunteers, program staff members have a range of backgrounds and expertise. Experts include: nurses, psychologists, social workers, infant mental health specialists and counselors. "As a primary prevention program, we need to keep in step and move in sync with the next generation of new parents," says Deanna Robb, program director. "As market trends shift and families' needs change, our program continues to evolve, finding innovative ways to meet the needs of the community." Starting in 2008, to address families' changing needs, Robert Ortlieb is a media relations coordinator at Beaumont Children's in Royal Oak, Michigan. Moving healthcare in the right direction. The healthcare industry is undergoing significant structural change. Organizations are focusing on value, executives must find ways to provide quality care and contain costs while facing unprecedented compliance risks and governmental scrutiny. FTI Consulting works closely with healthcare enterprises to anticipate challenges and identify areas for potential growth. We provide unparalleled expertise, innovation, and the necessary global reach to achieve success. FTI Consulting can help you optimize performance in the short term and prepare for the inevitable strategic, operational, compliance and financial challenges of the future. For more information, please visit www.fticonsulting.com/hc ©2015 FTI Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. CRITICAL THINKING AT THE CRITICAL TIME™ CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL S TODAY Summer 2016 11 http://www.fticonsulting.com/hc

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