CNBNews

 Honored for Her Extraordinary Care and Compassion

(Voorhees, NJ)…Virtua Health is proud to announce its own Ann Coyle, RNC-NIC (registered nurse certified in Neonatal Intensive Care), as an honoree of the Independence Blue Cross annual “Celebrate Caring” campaign, which highlights three nurses who demonstrate extraordinary care and compassion to their patients and community.

For the last 39 years, Ann has taken care of Virtua’s tiniest patients and their families during what can be an incredibly stressful time. As the manager of the Perinatal Bereavement Program, Ann ensures that families who experience the loss of a pregnancy or an infant have access to a multidisciplinary range of services that provide comfort and support.

Ann is also one of the organizers of Run with the Docs, an annual 5K held outside Virtua Voorhees Hospital that raises funds for the Perinatal Bereavement Program and involves the participation of several families Ann has supported through the years. Run With the Docs 2022 is on June 12.

“The loss of a pregnancy or an infant is a devastating and emotional journey,” said Ann. “It’s so important that grieving patients and families get the right kind of support at the right time to help them endure an immeasurable tragedy.”

Ann’s own history of loss—losing her father when she was seven years old, losing her first husband when she was only 25 years old and five months pregnant with her daughter, and losing her brother when she was 34—helped her understand and support grieving families.

In addition to facilitating support groups for families, Ann also provides education and sensitivity training for health care teams, equipping them with skills to help grieving families.

Through Virtua’s Perinatal Bereavement Program, Ann oversees services including:

• A financial assistance program to help ease the burden of burial costs.
• The purchase of cooling beds, allowing parents to spend precious time with their baby.
• The purchase of books on grief for parents and children.
• Presenting the biennial Perinatal Bereavement and Palliative Care conference, which provides education to healthcare workers in the U.S. and Canada.
• Assisting families with the purchase of a memory plaque for their little one in Virtua’s Angel Garden outside Virtua Voorhees Hospital.
• Serving as a resource for all families in our entire region, whether they are patients at Virtua or another health care system.

Generously, Independence Blue Cross (IBX) will make donations on behalf of each “Celebrate Caring” winner to nonprofit organizations of their choosing. Ann has requested IBX’s donation go to Virtua Foundation and its programs to enrich the experience of patients and parents of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Virtua Voorhees Hospital.

To read more about Ann and this honor, please visit Independence Blue Cross Celebrate Caring Campaign.

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About Virtua Health
Virtua Health is an academic health system committed to helping the people of South Jersey be well, get well, and stay well by providing the complete spectrum of advanced, accessible, and trusted health care services. Virtua’s 14,000 colleagues provide tertiary care, including renowned cardiology and transplant programs, complemented by a community-based care portfolio. In addition to five hospitals, two satellite emergency departments, 30 ambulatory surgery centers, and more than 300 other locations, Virtua brings health services directly into communities through Hospital at Home, physical therapy and rehabilitation, mobile screenings, and its paramedic program. Virtua has 2,850 affiliated doctors and other clinicians, and its specialties include orthopedics, advanced surgery, and maternity. Virtua is academically affiliated with Rowan University, leading research, innovation, and immersive education at the Virtua Health College of Medicine & Health Sciences of Rowan University. Virtua is also affiliated with Penn Medicine for cancer and neuroscience, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for pediatrics. As a not-for-profit, Virtua is committed to the well-being of the community and provides innovative outreach programs that address social challenges affecting health, most notably the “Eat Well” food access initiative, which includes the unparalleled Eat Well Mobile Grocery Store. A Magnet-recognized health system ranked by U.S. News and World Report, Virtua has received many awards for quality, safety, and its outstanding work environment. For more information, visit Virtua.org. To help Virtua make a difference, visit GiveToVirtua.org.