Mothers of Held Angels Partners with Ben Taub Hospital to Transform Bereavement Care for Grieving Families
Mothers of Held Angels (MOHA), a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has officially partnered with Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital, a part of the Harris Health System in Texas Medical Center. This recent collaboration will allow MOHA to provide bereavement resources and tools to the hospital staff and bereaved families, implementing the "MOHA's Angel Experience" as the standard of care following the loss of a baby.
Hollyn Keith, Chief Financial Director of MOHA expressed her excitement about the partnership, stating, "Partnering with Ben Taub Hospital and Harris Health to serve their Houston area bereaved families has been a dream and prayer of ours since our start in late 2021." The need for these resources is clear as the level of perinatal bereavement care can vary from hospital to hospital, leaving many without access to necessary bereavement resources during their hospital stay.
The tools provided by MOHA include the Flexmort CuddleCot, a cooling system that allows families to spend more time with their deceased babies in the hospital, and MOHA Angel Boxes, which contain tools for creating cherished memories before discharge. MOHA's Angel Ambassador Program also plays a crucial role, as it equips a network of volunteers, who have also experienced loss, to provide direct support to grieving parents and families.
A demonstration of a MOHA Angel Box. (Source: MOHA)MOHA was started by three mothers who wanted to support one another through their loss. It's their mission to provide resources and support for all family members experiencing stillbirth or neonatal loss, and to raise awareness about this heartbreaking experience.
Anna Noto, MOHA Vice President, underlines the importance of these resources, stating, “Every family deserves access to these bereavement tools, time to create precious memories with their baby, and to start the grieving in the healthiest possible way."
Ben Taub Hospital has taken the lead within Harris Health to adopt the “MOHA Angel Experience”, marking a significant advancement in bereavement care. This collaborative effort has been recognized by Brittany Kemp, President of Mothers of Held Angels, as a monumental achievement, not just for the institution, but for Houston.
“Today’s milestone of providing MOHA’s ‘Angel Experience’ standard of bereavement care to all of Houston through Harris Health is immensely important to the MOHA organization”, says Brittany Kemp, President of Mothers of Held Angels. Kemp adding, “It is an honor to play a small role in the heartfelt care the staff at Ben Taub provide to their patients.”
The generous contributions of The Thomas Family, Thomas Realty Team, and Katy Mom’s Network, have made the provision of a CuddleCot to Ben Taub Hospital possible. This CuddleCot is dedicated in loving memory of Charlie James Thomas, and Natalie Thomas of Katy Mom’s Network expressed her deep gratitude towards the hospital staff for their open-heartedness, expressing how this donation helps keep Charlie’s memory alive.
“Getting to donate something like this in our son’s honor cannot be put into words how much it means to us. We are honored to come alongside MOHA and give back in this way. It helps us keep Charlie’s memory alive.” Thomas also expresses her gratitude for Ben Taub Hospital’s staff adding, “We really want the nurses and staff at Ben Taub Hospital to know how valued and special they are for opening their hearts and blessing the families receiving this gift.”
The bereavement tools and services were received by several representatives from Ben Taub Hospital’s Labor and Delivery Unit, and Harris Health’s Chaplaincy Services offered a blessing over the CuddleCot and Angel Boxes.
To learn more about MOHA and discover how you can be a part of their meaningful work, vis their website at mohanetwork.org.
By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 
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Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region. |
