MASS AT ST. VINCENT'S HOSPITAL MARKS LAUNCH OF THE MOTHER ELIZABETH ANN SETON PRENATAL/NEONATAL SUPPORTIVE CARE PROGRAM
12/17/2007
Media Contact:
Michael Fagan 212/604-7965
St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan held a special Mass in the hospital chapel on Wednesday, December 12, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to mark the formal launch of the Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton Prenatal/Neonatal Supportive Care Program at St. Vincent's.
The innovative perinatal supportive care program offers medical, psychological and spiritual support to parents who have had, or are expecting, a baby with a terminal condition. Families receive concrete help, throughout the difficult transitions from pregnancy to parenthood to bereavement, from a team of professionals that includes physicians, nurses, medical ethicists, bereavement counselors, social workers, and a medical geneticist. The Sisters of Life, a New York-based religious community of nuns, will be one source of referrals for the program.
'As prenatal testing becomes more and more sophisticated, more parents are learning the heartbreaking news of a baby's fatal condition during pregnancy,' said program director and chief of Neonatology Dr. Mary-Joan Marron-Corwin. 'St. Vincent's is moved by this opportunity to provide compassionate and supportive care to families facing such challenging circumstances.'
Fr. James O'Connell, OFM, one of the hospital chaplains and the liaison between the Bereavement Program and Pastoral Care celebrated the Mass.
'St. Elizabeth Ann Seton would encourage us both as individuals and as communities of service to be compassionate and reverent in our relationships,' reflected Sr. Jane Iannucelli, vice-chair of Saint Vincent's Board and representative of the Sisters of Charity, the system co-sponsor. 'She would never want any woman, any mother to be alone. Know that her spirit joins with yours both as a mother and a caregiver.'
For more information about the Supportive Care Program at St. Vincent's, contact Dr. Marron-Corwin at (212) 604-7862.
