About Us

The Hygeia Foundation comforts and supports 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, illness, or any other cause. In addition, we strive to improve awareness of the impact of pregnancy and infant loss on families. We are named for Hygeia (high-JEE-uh), the Greek goddess of health and healing.

We work to achieve our mission through the following programs:

• Bereavement Support of women and men 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 burial or cremation
• 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. For several years, we offered our services 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 support groups in several locations in Connecticut, widespread one-on-one support, a bereavement resource lending library, and many other services. As we expanded our Bereavement Support program, we 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., President
Claudia Esposito, Vice-President
Kimberly Nelly, Secretary
Joshua A. Teplitzky, Treasurer
Lisa V. Harkness
Tucker Leary
Christina Martin
Angela Montgomery, M.D.
Judy Smith Morgan
Michael J. Paidas, M.D.
James M. Shure
Gillian Eversman, ex officio

Parent Board

Keri Arpino
Marianne Begej
Jessica Clark
Claudia Esposito
Ben Herzog
Wilma Hoffman
Sloan Jamali
Ginny McParland
Kimberly Nelly
Taly Noam
Megan Pollock
Jennifer Rosenzweig
Ali Scherer
Lacey Songhurst

Staff

Gillian Eversman, Executive Director
gillian.eversman@hygeiafoundation.org

Melissa Kish, Program Director
melissa.kish@hygeiafoundation.org