Support Groups
Internet support forums & Web sites
- A Heartbreaking Choice Discussion Board
An Yuku Community Board support forum
- Termination Due To Poor Prenatal Tests
An Ivillage support forum
- Potters Syndrome Support Site
- Center for Loss in Multiple Birth (Climb)
Loss support for Selective Reduction and loss of twins or multiples
National Support Groups
- Genetic Alliance, 4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 404, Washington, DC 20008-2304, (202) 966-5557, fax: (202) 966-8553, Toll-Free Helpline: (800) 336-GENE (4363), email: info@geneticalliance.org.
Has a listing of support groups for nearly every type of genetic problem.
- Center for Loss and Life Transition
3735 Broken Bow Road, Ft. Collins, CO 80526, (303) 226-6050
- CHERUBS: The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Advocacy, and Support
PO Box 1150, Creedmoor, NC 27522, (919) 693-8158, e-mail: cherubs@gloryroad.net
- March of Dimes
Birth Defects Foundation, 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605
- National Organization for Rare Disorders. Inc. (NORD)
P.O. Box 8923, New Fairfield, CT 06812-8923, (203) 746-6518, Fax: (203) 746-6481, Toll-Free: (800) 999-6673, email: orphan@rarediseases.org
- A Place to Remember
Support materials and resources for those who have been touched by a crisis in pregnancy or the death of a baby
- Pregnancy and Infant Loss Center
1421 E. Wayzata Blvd, #30, Wayzata, MN 55391, (612) 473-9372
- SHARE, Pregnancy and Infant Loss, Inc.
St. Joseph's Health Center, 300 First Capitol Drive, St. Charles, MO 63301, (314) 947-6164, (800) 821-6819
- Support for Prenatal Decision
P.O. Box 7523, Redlands, CA 92375
- RTS Bereavement Services
1910 South Avenue, LaCrosse, WI 54601, (608) 791-4747, (800) 362-9567
- Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
Overseas Support Groups
- Induction for Fetal Abnormality (I.F.F.A.)
PO Box 39, Waratah, NSW 2298, Australia
- Support after Fetal Diagnosis of Abnormality (SAFDA)
Royal Hospital for Women, 188 Oxford Street, Paddington, NSW 2021, Australia. Contact Sheila Sim (02) 339-4225 or Many O'Reilly (02) 438-7324
- ARC Antenatal Results and Choices
73-75 Charlotte Street, London, W1P 1LB,
Helpline: 0171 631-0285, Admin: 0171 631-0280
From outside the UK, please call: 0044 171 631-0285/0280.
- The Splash Project
email: support@thesplashproject.org
The Splash Project
c/o Culdrose Community Centre,
Hibernia Road,
Helston, Cornwall, UK
TR13 8DJ
Local Support Groups
- Albany, New York area: St. Peter's Hospital
Contact Maureen Cavanagh, (518) 525-1388.
- Ann Arbor, Michigan area: SHARING - Support and Healing After Difficult Decisions
Open meeting held every third Wednesday of the month from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan - East Ann Arbor Health Center. RSVP required.
Call (734)-615-0322 or (734) 936-9758
- Atlanta area: A Time to Heal
Northside Hospital, 1000 Johnson Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30342.
Contact Cathy Wing or Barbara Douglas at (404) 851-8177.
- Austin, Texas area: HOPE (Helping Ourselves through this Pregnancy Experience)
Applied Genetics, Inc.
Contact Melanie Casal at (512) 443-4363.
- Boston area: G.O.A.L. (Going on After Loss)
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115.
Contact Kristie Jochmann, MS;CGC at (617) 732-4704.
- Chicago area: Support Group for Prenatal Decisions
Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, 2650 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201.
To register, Contact Nancy A. Goldin, L.C.S.W., Coordinator for Perinatal Loss, at (708) 570-2883, ngoldin@enh.org.
Group meets the 4th Wednesday of each month from 7:30 — 9:00 PM.
- Cincinnati area: SHARED (Shared Help After Reproductive Decisions)
Children's Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039.
Contact Martha Walker at (513) 559-4798.
- Des Moines, Iowa area: Prenatal Decision Conference
Iowa Methodist Medical Center, 1200 Pleasant, Des Moines, IA 50309.
Contact Linda Bets, Department of Chaplaincy at (515) 241-5845.
- East Lansing, Michigan: Genetics Support Group
Michigan State University, B-240 Life Sciences Building, East Lansing, MI 48824.
Contact Tonya Diehn or Susan Selke at (517) 353-2030.
- Farmington, Connecticut: HOPE
University of Connecticut Heath Center, Genetics MC-6310, Farmington, CT 06030.
Contact Leslie Ciarleglio, MS or Alicia Craffey, MS
- Fayetteville, North Carolina area: SHARE
Fayetteville Diagnostic Center, 1767 Metromedical Drive, Fayette-ville, NC 28304.
Contact (910) 323-2209 on Tue/ Thur or (910) 487-2986 (Mon/ Wed/Fri). FAX (910) 323-9860.
- Houston area: Resolution
7400 Fannin #1212, Houston, TX 77054.
Contact Joy Redman, MS, at (800) 543-1346 or (713) 798-9500.
- Houston area: Resolution
University of Texas OB/GYN, 6655 Travis #320, Houston, TX 77030.
Contact Patti Furman at (713) 794-5170.
- Indianapolis area: Shared Concerns Support Group
Co-sponsored by Indiana University Hospital and Methodist Hospital of Indiana.
Contact Jane Heustis at (317) 929-8153 or Lynn Deardorff (317) 274-1639.
- Iowa City, Iowa area: Prenatal Loss Support Group
Duffy and Associates, 1039 Arthur Street, Iowa City, IA 52240.
Contact Alison Milburn at (319) 337-9649.
- Lexington, Massachusetts area: After Words
Prenatal Diagnostic Center, 80 Hayden Avenue, Lexington, MA 02173.
Contact Barbara Thayer or Bonnie Braddock at (617) 862-1171.
- Long Island, NY area: Mineola, New York - Winthrop University Hospital
259 First St. (516) 663-2288 or (516) 742-2934 Anna Orologio, A.C.S.W. We provide support groups for AHC and individual counseling.
- Los Angeles area: Pregnancy Loss Support Group
2001 S. Barrington Ave, Suite 307, Los Angeles, CA 90225.
Contact Lee Forseter at (310) 837-5842.
- Minneapolis/St. Paul area: Perinatal Center
Abbott Northwestern Hospital, 800 E. 28th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55407.
Contact Joanne O'Leary, Shari Baldinger or Bonnie Hunt at (612) 863-4502
- Mississauga, Ontario, Canada area: Wednesday's Child
RR #2, Erin, ON N0B 1T0.
Contact C. Lynn Wilson at (519) 833-2442
- Central New Jersey area (Monmouth and Ocean Counties): HART-Healing And Recovering after Termination
Monmouth Medical Center, 255 3rd Ave. Long Branch, New Jersey 07740.
Contact Judy Rokeach or Ivy Leight (732) 923-6527.
- Summit, New Jersey area: FATE — Feelings After the Termination Experience
Center for Human & Molecular Genetics, 90 Bergen Street, Suite 5400, Newark, NJ 07101.
Contact Gisela Rodriguez at (973) 972-3302, rodriggi@umdnj.edu.
- New York City: Painful Choices in Pregnancy Support Groups
30 E. 60th Street, Suite 802, New York.
Contact Joann Paley Galst at (212) 759-2783.
- New York State: Winthrop University Hospital
Mineola, New York.
Contact Anna Orologio, ACSW at 516-742-2934.
- North York, Ontario, Canada area: North York General Hospital
Department of Clinical Genetics, 4001 Leslie Street, North York, ON M2K 1E1 CANADA.
Contact Andrea Shugar at (416) 756-6345.
- Oakland, California area: Beyond Choice, Genetic Support Group
Contact Jeanne Menary, PH.D. (510) 845-4656 or Ann Bourguignon, Genetic Counselor, (510) 752-6755.
- Pasadena, California area: Caring Connection
Contact Wendy Kohlhase at (818) 577-4002 or Alfigen/Genetics Institute at (818) 666-3300.
- Philadelphia Area: A Time for Healing
Sunday evenings, 2nd or 3rd of the month, 7-9 pm, 191 Presidential Boulevard, Suite 133-135, North Building, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, (215) 955-0605.
- Phoenix Area: Phoenix Perinatal Associates
Nicole Weston, MS, Genetic Counselor at (602) 528-0060 x561
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area: Unexpected Choices
Contact Bev Tenenholtz, MS at (412) 578-7346
- Pittsburgh area: Unexpected Choices
320 E. North Avenue, Department of Human Genetics, 11th Floor, South Tower, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.
Contact Darcy L. Thull at (412) 359-6388.
- Providence, Rhode Island area: SHaRe (Support, Healing and Reflection)
Contact: Jacky Halliday, Women and Infants Hospital, (401) 453-7510
- Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area: HOPE (Helping Other Parents Endure)
Contact Carla Boor Smith, or DJ Pappas at (919) 966-2229.
- Rochester, MN (SE Minnesota and SW Wisconsin area): Mayo Perinatal Loss Support Group
Rochester Methodist Hospital, C/O Jeri Sehl, 3W-20 Eisenberg Building, Rochester MN, 55902, Phone (507) 266-7360.
- San Francisco area: California Pacific Medical Center.
Contact Kerstin Spangner, Genetic Counselor, at (415) 600-2628.
- Seattle, Washington area: Start Where You Are
UWMC Maternal Health Programs, Seattle WA.
Contact Teresa W., teresaw@u.washington.edu or 206-598-7561
- Springfield, Massachusetts area: Prenatal Decision Support and Information Group
Baystate Medical Center, Women & Infants' Unit, 759 Chestnut Street, Springfield, MA 01199.
Contact Karen Banta, MSW at (413) 784-5402.
- Stanford, California: Surviving Painful Decisions
Genetic Support Group at Stanford Medical Center, Call (415) 723-5198.
- Suffern, New York: Good Samaritan Hospital
Rt. 59, Suffern, NY 10901. Contact Pamela Magi, RN at (845) 368-5297. Serves Rockland, Westchester, Orange, Ulster and Putnam counties in New York state and Bergen and Passaic counties in New Jersey.
- Trenton, New Jersey area: Mercer County, NJ and Bucks County, PA areas. Time for Healing
Meets one Sunday per month from 7-9 p.m. at the Mercer Campus of Capital Health System in Trenton, NJ. Please call coordinator Carolee Watkins, M.S., Genetic Counselor at (609) 394-4072, ext. 2 for more information. No fee. Links by phone with other parents also available.
- Williamsville, New York: Precious Lives (Caring Arms Support Circle)
Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, 1540 Maple Road, Williamsville, New York.
Contact Kathleen Skipper, R.N.C. at (716) 568-6653. The group meets every 3rd Tuesday at 7 pm
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada area: Empty Cradle
52548 RPO Coquitlam Centre, Coquitlam, BC V3B 7J4 Canada.
Contact Patty Lou Bryant at (604) 469-1272.
- Watertown, New York area: Samaritan Medical
830 Washington Street, Watertown, NY 13601.
Contact Sheila Marie at (315) 785-4184 or (315) 785-4182