About Us
Welcome to the Hygeia Foundation. We are named for Hygeia (high–JEE–uh), the Greek goddess of health and healing. Our mission is to comfort those who grieve the loss of a pregnancy or infant, whether due to miscarriage, molar pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, premature birth, birth complications, genetic factors, and/or any other cause. We provide programs to educate, counsel, and support families who have lost a pregnancy or infant; to advocate for the health care of women and children worldwide; and to promote humanism in the education of tomorrow’s health care professionals.
Our main programs are:
- Bereavement Support of parents who have experienced the loss of a pregnancy or infant
- Burial Assistance to low-income parents who have lost a baby but cannot afford the cost of a cremation or burial
- Outreach and Educational Programs for Professionals to raise awareness among medical and other professionals of the effects of pregnancy and infant loss on families
History
The Hygeia Foundation was founded in 1995 by Michael R. Berman, M.D. Until 2007, our support services were based primarily online, through message boards and other resources available on our website. In 2007, we began providing in-person support services when we initiated our Bereavement Support program in New Haven, Connecticut. This program began with one monthly peer-led support group for parents who had lost a pregnancy or infant; we also began providing one-on-one, peer-to-peer support via e-mail and phone. Since then, we have expanded our support services to include six different support groups each month in three locations in Connecticut (Woodbridge, Guilford, and Westport), a bereavement resource lending library, a newsletter, and many other services. We have also established our Burial Assistance program and our Outreach and Educational Programs for Professionals. Today, these three programs – Bereavement Support, Burial Assistance, and Outreach and Educational Programs for Professionals – form the core of our organization.
Board of Directors
Michael R. Berman, M.D., Founder and President
Sherman H. Krevolin, Vice-President and Secretary
Joshua A. Teplitzky, Treasurer
Claudia Esposito
Lisa V. Harkness
Tucker Leary
Judy Smith Morgan
Kimberly Nelly
Michael J. Paidas, M.D.
Gillian Eversman, ex officio
Parent Advisory Board
Keri Arpino
Marianne Begej
Jessica Clark
Claudia Esposito
Sarah Fijal
Ben Herzog
Wilma Hoffman
Sloan Jamali
Ginny McParland
Kimberly Nelly
Taly Noam
Megan Pollock
Jennifer Rosenzweig
Ali Scherer
Lacey Songhurst
Medical Advisory Board
Michael R. Berman, M.D.
Ian Gross, M.D.
Michael J. Paidas, M.D.
Staff
Gillian Eversman, Executive Director
gillian.eversman@hygeiafoundation.org