Haslinger Family Pediatric Palliative Care Center

Whether suffering is physical, emotional, social, spiritual or practical, Akron Children’s palliative care team provides treatment to relieve symptoms and conditions that cause distress and detract from a child’s enjoyment of life.

Help support this important program by donating to one of the funds benefiting the Haslinger Family Center for Pediatric Palliative Care.

• Colin James Carr Endowment Fund supports bereavement services and programs.
• Cushwa Family Pediatric Palliative Care Fund supports department staff with the intent on enhancing provision of home-based services for patients with life-threatening illness and their families.
• Austin Michael Davis Memorial Endowment Fund provides funding to support and enhance the projects and services of the Palliative Care Center.
• Sarah Elizabeth Friebert, MD, Leadership Chair in Pediatric Palliative Care Fund supports the director of the Haslinger Family Pediatric Palliative Care Center.
• Sarah Elizabeth Friebert, MD, Leadership I Pediatric Palliative Care Fund #2 provides funds to help support the Director of the Pediatric Palliative Care Center.
• Lauren Ellen Gartner, Forever in Our Hearts, Memorial Fund supports the Expressive Therapy Program.
• Haslinger Family Pediatric Palliative Care Center Fund helps defray unreimbursed costs associated with the center.
• Manny Rodriguez Patient Safety Education Fund supports the efforts to reduce or eliminate medical errors and improve patient safety.
• Stan and Roberta Marks Music Therapy Fund helps fund the music therapy program within the Emily Cooper Welty Expressive Therapy Center at Akron Children’s.
• Palliative Care General Fund provides support for equipment, supplies and education.
• Pediatric Palliative Care Education Fund supports programs, activities and supplies (equipment, books, travel, etc.) deemed beneficial to enhancing the education of the Pediatric Palliative Care team members, including those specializing in medicine, nursing, bereavement, case management, psychosocial support (social work, psychology, child life, spiritual care), nutrition, rehabilitation therapy, expressive therapy, and others.
• Pediatric Palliative Care (PPC) Family Fund assists families coping with the extreme financial stress of caring for children who have complex, chronic or serious medical conditions. The fund helps families with groceries and nutritional needs, transportation assistance, burial expenses and household expenses, primarily for families who do not meet the financial requirements of other assistance programs. Special items or experiences can also be funded for siblings. 
• River of Life Fund supports families coping with the extreme financial stress of caring for a child with a complex, chronic or serious medical condition and assists with urgent expenses to allow families to stay at their child's bedside during a catastrophic illness.  
• Hazel L. McKenna Memorial Fund provides support for bereavement, equipment and supplies for outpatient or inpatient use (when hospital resources are not available), as well as education, research and patient support.
• Boxout Palliative Care Assistance Fund is created through the generous contributions from Ron and Lydia Harrington and the employees of Boxout.  All funds will be used to support patient families with financial burdens during their care.
• Robert and Hellen Mitten Palliative Care Chaplaincy Fund was established by Mark Mitten in honor of his parents, and challenges other donors to assist Dr. Sarah Friebert in providing additional chaplaincy services to children and families in need. The Mitten Chaplaincy reflects the care and compassion Mr. and Mrs. Mitten evidenced for members of the Akron community and their children. 

The Haslinger Family Pediatric Palliative Care Center offers a variety of educational opportunities for students.

A 1-year or 2-year Fellowship is offered to physicians who have completed an accredited residency in pediatrics, IM/peds or family practice and wish to subspecialize in Pediatric Palliative Care.

A 4-week elective is offered to palliative care fellows in other accredited programs to enhance their pediatric knowledge.

A 4-week elective is offered to residents in accredited training programs.

A 4-week elective is offered to 4th-year medical students in accredited programs.

Shadowing experiences are offered to trainees in other programs or at other levels.

Learn more about educational opportunities for Residents and Students:

Palliative Care Elective (Medical Students)

When facing serious illness, finding words to express fear, grief, or hope can be difficult. Narrative medicine gives patients, families, and care teams the tools to do exactly that. Since 2019, Akron Children’s has been a leader in narrative medicine for pediatric care. We were the first children’s hospital in the country to employ full-time narrative medicine specialists serving patients, families and staff. 

Narrative Medicine Program Manager Nicole Robinson leads the program with support from the Haslinger Family Pediatric Palliative Care Center. In this role, Robinson provides continuing medical education and curricula for interdisciplinary teams, learners, and faculty. She also provides inpatient consults throughout the hospital, leads workshops for the behavioral health inpatient, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, and provides home visits for families receiving pediatric palliative care. 

What is narrative medicine in pediatric care? 

Narrative medicine uses literary arts to help people share and listen to stories in a medical setting. At Akron Children's , our narrative medicine program focuses on patients and families receiving pediatric palliative and hospice services, and on the staff who care for them — strengthening communication, deepening connection and supporting overall wellbeing. 

Research shows that narrative medicine support can: 

• For patients: improve emotional expression, reduce distress, enhance coping, increase treatment adherence, and support meaning-making, legacy-building, and engagement in care   

• For families: provide a sense of control, reduce caregiver burden, strengthen connection to patient, help track the details of a hospital stay, and improve communication with care providers 

• For learners, faculty and staff: improve communication skills and reflective practice, enhance empathy and family-centered care, strengthen professional identity, reduce burnout, and improve team cohesion.  

How do narrative medicine sessions work? 

To get started, a narrative medicine specialist may first share a piece of writing, song, or visual art to demonstrate the different tools that are available to convey a narrative and allow for the participant(s) to engage in a narrative other than their own. A prompt is provided which may inspire participants to write reflectively or creatively about their humanity and health experiences. 

How can families access narrative medicine at Akron Children’s? 

Narrative medicine services are provided for children and families at no cost and do not require insurance coverage. Inpatient consults can be made by a provider, or families can self-refer by contacting Palliative Care at 330-543-3343. 

How can staff access narrative medicine services at Akron Children’s?  

If your department, team, or learners would benefit from narrative medicine workshops, email Nicole Robinson who will meet with you to learn your needs and desired outcomes.  

If you have patients/families who would benefit from narrative medicine support, a consult can be placed in Epic. If you cannot locate narrative medicine in Epic, call Palliative Care at 330-543-3343.

In the news:

Narrative medicine, patient journals support patients on their health care journey 

January 26, 2024 

Mother shares how bonds with Akron Children’s palliative care team lifted her family through their darkest days 

November 11, 2024 

Researchers get a global audience for work on narrative medicine 

July 14, 2023 

Reading, writing, reflecting: Narrative medicine gets boost at Akron Children’s 

March 12, 2021 

Nicole Robinson honored by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine 

December 20, 2021