Creating Parent Mentor/Self-Management Training Center for Pediatric Health Settings

Purpose

Parents of children with chronic / complex medical conditions feel overwhelmed by their circumstances and in addition to the need for emotional support may require help with navigating their hospital stay, discharge process, home care, and the complex health care system in general. Often speaking to other parents is the most valuable resource. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford will expand on a previous Foundation grant by establishing a replicable parent mentor program that is adaptable to diverse health care settings. Parent mentors are veteran parents of children with chronic / complex conditions who provide support and navigational strategies to parents of newly-diagnosed children. The program will be developed and tested within a learning collaborative of hospitals nationwide. Funding also will allow for measurement of the impact of a health care team-based parent mentor program, and for national dissemination of the results.