Who We Are
Services provided by Edmarc
Home Health & Hospice Care
• Physician-directed care is delivered by registered nurses.
• Nurses will assess a patient's status or perform a skilled procedure such as administer chemotherapy, give pain medications, or draw blood for testing.
• Care is provided to the child in the comfort of their own home.
• Nursing care is available to patients and families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Patient & Family Support
• Individual and group support is provided to patients, parents, and siblings by medical social workers.
• Social workers can assist with coordinating financial resources and supportive services for families as indicated. Spiritual support is available for families upon request.
• Funeral planning and resourcing is available.
• We offer monthly patient and sibling support groups, socialization activities, and a kids’ newsletter.
• Staff members work with other local agencies such as Angel Flight to develop logistical support when patients must be transported for treatment in other locations.
• Ongoing support is available for families as they cope with multiple grief issues.
• Socialization activities are designed to enhance a family's coping skills and cohesiveness, and we encourage families to attend events such as the Easter egg hunt, family picnic, Halloween party, ice skating party, and multiple special events like baseball and hockey games.
• A dedicated, caring group of volunteers provide one-on-one support for patients, siblings, and parents, both in the home and in the hospital.
• Support from the community makes the holidays special, and with donations from generous individuals, corporations, and local organizations, we can share Thanksgiving and holiday food baskets for families in need, and home visits with caroling and gifts for every family member.
Bereavement Support
• Edmarc offers one-on-one support for bereaved families including home visits and telephone calls, as well as customized educational materials about the grief process for each family, based on their needs.
• Staff members maintain personal contact with families on significant anniversaries such as the child's birthday, date of death, Mother's Day, and Father's Day.
• We offer support groups for mothers, fathers, and families.
• All families are invited to take part in our Annual Remembrance Service.
• Families are invited to Camp MAGIC (My Active Grieving Instills Courage), a weekend away for bereaved families.
• Families who have lost a child are invited to our bereaved parents retreat weekend and can receive our bereavement newsletter if they choose.
• Our Peace by Piece program is open to any grieving child or teen in Hampton Roads.
What We Do
Our Mission:
The mission of Edmarc is to ease the trauma of a child's illness or death, and to reduce the disabling effects of pediatric illness, loss, and bereavement on families.
Description
Vision Statement:
Edmarc sees a community in which no child or family is denied pediatric hospice services and a society that wholeheartedly accepts and supports pediatric hospice care.
History:
Established in 1978, Edmarc Hospice for Children was the first hospice in the nation designed specifically for children. Edmarc is the only pediatric hospice organization in Hampton Roads. Edmarc was founded by the members of Suffolk Presbyterian Church in Suffolk, Virginia, along with their minister who was dying of cancer, and a young couple whose only son was dying of a progressive neuromuscular disease. The minister's name was Edward; the boy's name was Marcus. The agency is named in their memory. In 1982, Edmarc Hospice for Children received a $300,000 grant from the Birthday Offering of the Presbyterian Women. This generous community gift funded the development and expansion of our hospice, home health care, and bereavement support services. Edmarc now serves a wide geographic area that includes the Virginia Peninsula and all of southside Hampton Roads. Edmarc Hospice for Children is a United Way agency, serving children with life-limiting illness and their families, without regard to their ability to pay for services.
Program & Service Summary:
Edmarc’s health care services allow a child with a life-limiting illness to stay at home whenever possible. Remaining at home helps alleviate some of the child’s stress, and can make healthcare for the child less traumatic. But when a child is ill, Edmarc never forgets that the entire family is affected. Families who have a child with a life-limiting illness experience a high level of stress, including emotional, social, spiritual, and financial pressures. This stress often becomes debilitating to the entire family, sometimes resulting in dysfunctional family dynamics, financial hardship, and divorce. Numerous studies cite a divorce rate of 75% in families where a child has died. In Edmarc bereaved families, the marriage failure rate is less than 20%.
To help families cope, Edmarc offers a broad range of services to address not only the physical and emotional needs of the child, but the multi-dimensional needs of the family as well. Edmarc’s home health, hospice, and bereavement support services are available to children and families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Since 1978, Edmarc’s program has grown steadily, indicating a need for this unique type of care. Edmarc has served over 1,000 families in Hampton Roads, and more than 3,600 family members in the past 34 years.
Edmarc sees a community in which no child or family is denied pediatric hospice services and a society that wholeheartedly accepts and supports pediatric hospice care.
History:
Established in 1978, Edmarc Hospice for Children was the first hospice in the nation designed specifically for children. Edmarc is the only pediatric hospice organization in Hampton Roads. Edmarc was founded by the members of Suffolk Presbyterian Church in Suffolk, Virginia, along with their minister who was dying of cancer, and a young couple whose only son was dying of a progressive neuromuscular disease. The minister's name was Edward; the boy's name was Marcus. The agency is named in their memory. In 1982, Edmarc Hospice for Children received a $300,000 grant from the Birthday Offering of the Presbyterian Women. This generous community gift funded the development and expansion of our hospice, home health care, and bereavement support services. Edmarc now serves a wide geographic area that includes the Virginia Peninsula and all of southside Hampton Roads. Edmarc Hospice for Children is a United Way agency, serving children with life-limiting illness and their families, without regard to their ability to pay for services.
Program & Service Summary:
Edmarc’s health care services allow a child with a life-limiting illness to stay at home whenever possible. Remaining at home helps alleviate some of the child’s stress, and can make healthcare for the child less traumatic. But when a child is ill, Edmarc never forgets that the entire family is affected. Families who have a child with a life-limiting illness experience a high level of stress, including emotional, social, spiritual, and financial pressures. This stress often becomes debilitating to the entire family, sometimes resulting in dysfunctional family dynamics, financial hardship, and divorce. Numerous studies cite a divorce rate of 75% in families where a child has died. In Edmarc bereaved families, the marriage failure rate is less than 20%.
To help families cope, Edmarc offers a broad range of services to address not only the physical and emotional needs of the child, but the multi-dimensional needs of the family as well. Edmarc’s home health, hospice, and bereavement support services are available to children and families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Since 1978, Edmarc’s program has grown steadily, indicating a need for this unique type of care. Edmarc has served over 1,000 families in Hampton Roads, and more than 3,600 family members in the past 34 years.
Details
| (757) 967-9251 | |
| boylanb@edmarc.org | |
| Brittany Boylan | |
| Community Resource Coordinator | |
| http://www.edmarc.org |
