Remembering Our Babies Gone Too Soon Dr. Amanda Worden-Rogers, Family Physician, Fredericton October was Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. We all know someone or heard of someone who experienced such heartbreak and it is unfathomable to most people. Social media often just lets us see the “happy” times – but that isn’t real and that isn’t helpful if there is someone out there who needs to know they aren’t the only one struggling. So, I’m sharing my story.
Horizon’s first Integrated Mobile Crisis Unit making a difference in Saint John area
After years of careful planning and collaboration with stakeholders, a first-of-its- kind approach to mobile crisis response in New Brunswick is now actively serving clients in the Saint John area. Horizon’s Integrated Mobile Crisis Response Unit formally launched earlier this fall – an expanded version of the Mobile Crisis Response Unit operated by Horizon’s Addiction and Mental Health Services in the Saint John area for the last 20 years. The most noticeable difference between then and now is the addition of two Saint John Police Force constables to the Horizon team, a first for the province. These two officers – Const. Mary Gellatly and Const. Emily Hobbs – have been seconded to Horizon for a three-year period where they will undergo specialized mental health training and Horizon orientation while serving as active members of the unit, which also includes a trio of mental health nurses. An officer will be paired with a nurse on each shift to help respond to high-risk mental health crisis calls, providing critical, timely mental health intervention and outreach services to vulnerable clients where and when they need them. Just a few weeks into the pilot project, Sarah Brannon, Project Lead with Horizon’s Addiction
and Mental Health Services in Saint John, said the early results have been encouraging. “They have already been diverting a number of cases away from the hospital, which is really great to see so early into this,” she said. “And with the (additional) outreach they’re doing in the community; the team is out over the course of the 12-hour shift working with clients and responding to different things – and they’re saying this approach is clearly working.” Horizon’s Integrated Mobile Crisis Response Unit in Saint John is available to respond to crisis calls and provide community outreach from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week, with staff working in pairs on each shift. Calls to activate the mobile crisis team can come in either through 911 dispatch or directly through the unit’s 1-888 crisis number (1-888- 811-3664). Brannon said this project would not have been possible without the support of the Saint John Police Force, as well as Dr. Mary Ann Campbell, who heads up the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ). Dr. Campbell provided expertise into the development of the framework for the new unit and will also help track its performance over the course of the pilot. The initiative also received significant financial support from the provincial government, a
Members of Horizon’s Integrated Mobile Crisis Response Unit in Saint John are making a difference in the community, after the first-of-its-kind pilot project launched in the fall with two members of the Saint John Police Force joining the unit for a three-year period. From left: Cst. Mary Gellatly, Kendra Fudge and Erica Henderson, registered nurses, and Cst. Emily Hobbs. $900,000 commitment over the three-year period. Brannon noted the integrated model should ultimately result in a more coordinated, streamlined and effective response for area mental health clients through improved interagency collaboration. By reducing the number of interactions between police and those experiencing a mental health crisis, she said one of the main goals the project is hoping to achieve is ultimately reducing the number of unnecessary transfers to the hospital Emergency Department (ED). In 2019, the Saint John mobile crisis unit responded to over 2,100 calls for assistance, roughly 430 of which resulted in the client being transported either by police or ambulance to the ED. By freeing up police to focus more of their time and energy on criminal matters, she said she’s confident the new approach will cut into those figures. “When you see people working in community, it seems to de-escalate things just by being on their turf,” Brannon said. “And especially now, with COVID concerns, a trip to the ER isn’t necessarily what it once was, and while we will still take people to the ER who need to be there, there’s something to be said for seeing people in an environment that’s comfortable for them.” Having the two police officers – who will be dressed in plain clothes and attending calls in an unmarked vehicle – join the nurses on-shift, she added, adds an additional layer of security to allow the mobile crisis nurses to do their jobs more safely, and therefore more effectively. With the demand for mental health intervention on the rise in New Brunswick, coupled with the wider discussion surrounding the role police should or should not play in responding to these situations, Brannon said she’s hopeful that, in time, the integrated model being deployed in Saint John will be looked at as an option in other parts of the province as well.
My husband and I found out in August that we would be adding to our family (due April 2021) and we were so happy. (Well, except Figs – our dog. He is OK with two kids!) I have always been one to share news early, as I believe life is to be celebrated at any stage. Our family and friends knew and celebrated with us. Our girls knew they would be “big sisters” and were already planning their roles. Our ultrasound had told us at about seven weeks things looked good and there was a strong heartbeat, and I know from my job as a family doctor that once you have that, 98 per cent of the time you have a healthy baby in your arms in nine months. However, during the next few weeks, seeds of doubt started to creep in. My pants were still fitting, some of my symptoms went away. I tried a few times at work to hear the lovely early heartbeat sounds (I had been able to hear my daughters’ Jubilee and Cadence’s heartbeats at around eight to nine weeks) but I couldn’t find it. I chalked that up to the extra pounds I had gained since my last pregnancy.
But I had mother’s intuition, and I needed to know for sure. So, at 11 weeks, my colleague and friend tried to find the heartbeat. No heartbeat was heard. I went for an ultrasound. The tech was lovely, but I knew without a word what the news was. Our baby, too perfect for this world, had left us. The walk from the ultrasound room to the car is one that seemed so surreal – seeing others’ faces, wondering if they were getting bad news today too. I let my husband and family know and went to pick the girls up from school. I knew
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St. Joseph’s Hospital Auxiliary recognized with volunteer award
The St. Joseph’sHospital Auxiliary recently receivedCatholicHealth International’s Volunteer ExcellenceAward. OnOctober 9, JennieGallant, Auxiliary president, accepted the award fromKathi Hurley, Facility Administrator at Horizon’s St. Joseph’sHospital, withMelissa Short, theAuxiliary’s business manager in attendance. The St. Joseph’sHospital Auxiliary has been active since it was established in 1929. Members serve as volunteer staff at Jo’s Boutique, themuch-loved gift shop in the lobby of St. Joseph’s. Proceeds are donated throughout the hospital for the benefit of patients. CatholicHealth International (CHI), the sponsor of St.
that I just needed to hug and snuggle them. When we told Jubilee, her sobbing broke my heart, and her care and questions were so innocent and sweet. We took the weekend just to breathe and “be” – we went on a beautiful healing hike, and took time to enjoy our blessings. On Monday, I worked, seeing patients that were roughly the same number of weeks along, hearing the heartbeats for the first time, being so happy for them, but grieving the little one inside me who would never give me that joy. Surprisingly, I felt blessed that day regardless of my grief. I love my job, and it was part of my healing too to be part of happiness in the time of grief. I went in the next day and became the patient. On the other side of the operating table, my body seemed ready to let go that day too, as I had started to show the signs of my
miscarriage. I was so very well taken care of. I have sat with many women and men, crying together at the unfairness of miscarriage and infant loss. I speak from the heart, both from experience (having our first loss before Jubilee was conceived and now this one) and from professional experiences. What I know is that we all grieve, but we all do it in different ways. I like to share and talk about my grief; others like to keep it private. There are no rules, no time limit to grief. For these babies were our dreams, our wishes and our plans for the future. We had already imagined holding them for the first time, counting every finger and every toe. So feel free to grieve in your own way. Share it or keep it for your heart only. Just know that there are many who walk beside you, and we feel you and hear you.
Joseph’sHospital, was pleased to recognize the tremendous dedication of volunteerswith this award. Due toCOVID-19 restrictions, Auxiliary memberswere unable to attend the award presentation – but have been promised a celebrationwhentheyare able tomeet once again. Congratulations!
From left: Melissa Short, St. Joseph’s Hospital Auxiliary Business Manger; Jennie Gallant, St. Joseph’s Hospital Auxiliary President; and Kathi Hurley, St. Joseph’s Hospital Facility Administrator.
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