Gift to Provide Support for Parent Bereavement Program

When Tom Adler retired over twenty years ago, he shifted his time completely to serve nonprofits and became more involved with UH, serving as a trustee (now Emeritus), vice chair of the development and real estate committees, vice chair for the fundraising campaign, and chair of the UH Orthopedic Leadership Council. Joanie Adler has long served organizations dedicated to infants and children, including the UH MacDonald’s Women’s Health Leadership Council and the Quentin & Elisabeth Alexander Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.

Recently, the Adlers decided they wanted to do more for UH and the community it supports by making a gift of $1.5 million, with $250,000 in matching support from the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Foundation, to establish the Joanie and Tom Adler Endowed Director of Parent Bereavement Programs at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s and UH MacDonald Women’s hospitals. Among other services, this newly endowed position will facilitate comprehensive grief support for families who have lost late-term pregnancies or newborns.

A Personal Experience

The idea for a bereavement program took root sixteen years ago when the Adlers experienced a great family tragedy – their Boston-based son and daughter-in-law delivered their first child “still” at nine months. The grief was overwhelming for them all, but Joanie and Tom saw the impact of two kind and gifted caregivers: a lactation consultant who visited their daughter-in-law for many months knowing she would still need services and support, and a grief counselor who guided the family through the grief and healing process. With the support of these women, the family was able to cope and integrate the loss into their lives.

This painful and defining moment in their lives sparked something in Joanie and Tom. Why shouldn’t more parents have access to this kind of support? Why doesn’t every hospital have a grieving program? They decided then that they wanted to help other families suffering with grief and loss, particularly those in the Cleveland community with limited resources.

“In the face of inexplicable loss, we want to help parents find the strength to carry on,” said Joanie. “This new position will help relieve families from coordinating their own grieving process and give them one less thing to do at such a devastating time in their lives.”

The position will also enable UH to remain connected with parents beyond their hospital stay, providing ongoing outreach and offering the kind of support that the Adlers’ son and daughter-in-law received when they were ready to continue building their family.

“We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to do this kind of impactful, charitable work,” said Tom. “We hope to make a meaningful difference in the lives of parents and families who are experiencing the grief and trauma that comes with the loss of a baby.”