The Wings Program

About Our Program

The Wings Pediatric Program -- a part of BJC Hospice -- seeks to enhance a child’s quality of life during his or her last months, weeks or days, by offering pain and symptom management and comfort care. During this time, our staff and volunteers provide a variety of activities, information and services that enable families to make the most of their child’s final stage of life.

Our services are based on the individual needs of the child and family, and helping families cope with grief is a major focus of the program. Bereavement support is extended to families for 24 months, and activities are designed to help both siblings and parents cope with their many feelings, as well as remember their loved one.

Components of WINGS Include:

• Specialized pediatric staff to meet physical, emotional, social, spiritual and practical needs of the child and family
• Works with the community to provide care
• Serves children within a 60-mile radius of St. Louis pediatric hospitals in Missouri and Illinois, with consultation to agencies, families and physicians outside of the service area
• Hospital visits and discharge planning to ease the transition from hospital to home
• Expertise in pediatric pain and symptom management
• Volunteers to provide companionship, respite and support
• TOUCH therapy dogs to provide support to children
• 24 hour a day, seven day a week availability
• Consultation with physician medical director for palliative care
• Instruction on care and procedures necessary for keeping child comfortable at home
• Assistance with re-entry to classroom for children who attend school during their illness
• Support of teachers, school counselors and classmates to sensitize them to the needs of siblings and to normalize feelings
• Perinatal services for families whose baby will be born with limited life expectancy
• Grief support for two years after the child’s death
• Stepping Stones grief camp for children ages 6-12 years who have lost a family member to death

Perinatal Program

Whether at home or in the hospital, a Wings nurse, social worker and chaplain are available to offer compassion, guidance and support and to assist parents in both welcoming the baby and, if necessary, saying goodbye.

• Education
  • Assist parents in identifying resources to help their family cope during the pregnancy and after the baby’s birth
  • Help create a birthing plan with parents and other health-care providers, which includes:
  • The family’s preference on interventions for the baby at birth
  • Options for the Wings team’s involvement with the family
  • Provide family with community resources available to them, such as a wide range of support groups and resource materials
• Emotional support
  • Support the needs of the baby and family while hospitalized
  • Assist the inpatient staff in coordinating a plan of care and discharge planning if appropriate
  • Assist in creating ways to celebrate and “welcome the baby” in the hospital or home
  • Assist in creating special keepsakes and treasures prior to and after the baby’s birth
  • Help to address the emotional needs and concerns of other children in the family
  • Provide guidance and encouragement in finding hope and comfort amidst the family’s anguish and grief
  • Help in planning final arrangements, memorial services and goodbyes at the hospital or at home
  • Provide bereavement support for all family members for a period of 24 months
• Bereavement follow-up
  • Art, expressive and music therapies guided by our pediatric bereavement specialists
  • Calls, visits and age appropriate literature are used for bereavement follow up for children in the family
  • The staff assists children in learning to express grief through play, music and art
  Because grief affects the whole family, support is provided to parents through individual and family activities and counseling

Stepping Stones -- A Support Program for Grieving Children and Adolescents

The Stepping Stones program -- a part of BJC Hospice -- is a support program for children (pre-school through teen) whose siblings, parents or grandparents are experiencing a life-limiting illness. The focus of the program is to assist children and their family members in dealing with grief and loss.

A bereavement specialist assists children in working through their grief by participating in meaningful, age-specific, memory and feelings activities before and after the death of their loved one. Parents and grandparents are assisted in determining how to best inform their children about the illness. Guidance is provided in funeral preparation for children. materials are provided to meet each family’s specific needs.

Stepping Stones Camp

Recognizing that everyone experiences loss, the Wings program has created a camp especially for children. Stepping Stones camp is a weekend for children who have lost a family member through death. It is offered at no cost to participating families. The camp offers both fun activities and a chance to make new friends.

At Stepping Stones camp, children will have the opportunity to meet other children who have had similar experiences. They will learn that they are not alone and that their feelings are normal. Although this experience is not designed as therapy, Stepping Stones is a safe environment where children will learn about their grief.

About Our Team

The BJC Hospice teams -- Wings, Supportive Care and Stepping Stones -- consist of:

• A medical director
• Registered nurses
• Certified home health aides
• Licensed physical, speech, occupational and expressive therapists
• A medical social worker
• A chaplain
• Volunteers
• Occupational therapy
• Speech/language therapy
• Art therapy
• Music therapy
• Bereavement counseling services

Your own physician is involved in providing overall direction of the level of care.

Does Your Insurance Cover Our Program?

Many private health insurance policies cover Wings and Supportive Care, however, all children are accepted into these programs regardless of ability to pay. Medicare and Medicaid cover the cost of supportive care services under home health when the patient meets the admission criteria.

Our Accreditations

We are:

• Licensed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Home Care and Rehabilitation Standards
• Certified by Medicare and Medicaid
• Accredited by JCAHO

BJC Home Care Services does not discriminate with respect to the admission of patients to home care and hospice programs based on race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disease (including communicable but not limited to HIV, MRSA, Hepatitis B) or disability and in accordance with state and federal laws.

House Officers

A palliative/hospice (WINGS) care opportunity is available for residents as an elective rotation. Patients in the WINGS program are approaching end-of-life status. The rotation consists of making rounds with the nursing team and the medical.director. These rounds usually occur in the family's home. Interaction with other team members (e.g. chaplain, social worker, art and music therapist) during their home visits can be arranged. Some hospital visits may be involved. Attendance at team meetings will be required. Discussion of clinical research questions in palliative/hospice care is encouraged. For more information contact: Dr. Elliot Gellman or Dr. Michael R. DeBaun