Elliot Health System and Southern New Hampshire Health Sponsor TEARS Foundation Rock and Walk!

Elliot Health System and Southern New Hampshire Health are sponsors of the TEARS Foundation Rock and Walk again this year! The Elliot has been a presenting sponsor for two years in a row.

The event celebrates and honors families who have lost a baby or babies. The heart of the Rock and Walk is to let bereaved families know they are not alone. The TEARS Foundation strives to build awareness about pregnancy and infant loss by bringing the community together to support these families. Participants will rock in chairs or walk laps to honor babies who have passed away.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event will be VIRTUAL! It’s being held October 18 at 10 am. Anyone who registered will gain access to a weblink a few days before and have special access to an interactive website.

“This sponsorship is important to the Elliot because pregnancy and infant loss is something we are very passionate about. It is our mission to support our families experiencing a loss in the best way we can. The TEARS Foundation really aligns with these values and allows us to continue to support our families beyond discharge from the hospital,” Katelyn Tekin, BSN-RNC-OB, Clinical Nurse Manager in Labor and Delivery and Childbirth Education at Elliot Health System, explains.

Betsy Houde, Director of Community Partnership and Legacy Trust at Southern New Hampshire Health says, “After experiencing the joy of a pending birth, the loss of the baby is unimaginable. The TEARS Foundation helps bereaved parents through the grieving process. Patients served by Southern New Hampshire Health become like family to us, and we want to do everything we can to support them during such a difficult time.”

The Elliot has partnered with the TEARS Foundation to hold a support group each month at the hospital. Tekin says this is the only pregnancy and infant loss support group of this nature in the southern New Hampshire area. “We are proud of the partnership we have with the TEARS Foundation. This relationship has allowed for us to enhance our own bereavement services. When our patients leave the hospital, they have TEARS to support them in many different ways, which is so important to us,” Tekin says.

Houde adds, “We are grateful to be able to connect grieving parents with the TEARS Foundation’s New Hampshire chapter for additional support as well as financial assistance for funeral expenses.”

If you would like to register to participate in the Rock and Walk, click here.