The Woman's Hospital of Texas and Alicia's Angels open family care room

Houston, TX – The Woman’s Hospital of Texas held a ribbon cutting and room dedication for their new Alicia’s Angels Family Care Room made which was possible through a donation from Alicia’s Angels, a partnering non-profit organization that provides support and comfort to grieving parents who experience a pregnancy or infant loss.

Jona Sager, founder of Alicia’s Angels, lost her daughter, Alicia, shortly after she was born over 30 years ago. Since that day, Sager has worked to help families through infant loss in her work as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse. She started Alicia’s Angels to help grieving families have a space away from the medical setting to create precious memories with their baby.

“Over the past 30 years as a NICU nurse, I have cared for many families who have had to say goodbye to their precious children without ever being able to take them home from the hospital,” said Jona Sager. “I wanted to be able to do more when there was nothing more medically we could do. This is how Alicia’s Angels was born. By creating these living areas in the hospital, away from the medical environment, we give these families a peaceful and beautiful place to say goodbye and create memories.”

This is the third Alicia’s Angels Family Care Room to be established in a hospital and the first one in Texas. Based in Connecticut, Sager was unsure how to help establish this resource in hospitals throughout the country until she received an email from Dr. Alana Carpenter from Houston, Texas who expressed interest in a space for families experiencing an infant loss at The Woman’s Hospital of Texas.

“As a neonatologist and pediatric palliative medicine physician, I wanted to provide a private space for families and caregivers to bond, make memories and say goodbye in those precious moments,” said Dr. Alana Carpenter. “I am honored and privileged to use my training and experience to work with the most fragile and critically ill babies and their families through their NICU journey. Through this project we have been able to work with a wonderful organization as well as the hospital senior leaders, physician leaders and the March of Dimes to help make the Alicia’s Angels Family Care Room more memorable and personal.”

To help draw inspiration and bring parts of the Texas scenery into the room, Dr. Sager worked with local artists and organizations including “Art for kids, by kids” to incorporate artwork into the room which hides the medical equipment. The Alicia’s Angels Family Care Room features a bed, sofa and crib, along with books and clothing donated by the March of Dimes for families to use and feel at home.

“The Woman’s Hospital of Texas is honored to work with Alicia’s Angels and to help Jona on her mission to honor Alicia and provide comfort to families,” said Jeanna Bamburg, chief executive officer of The Woman’s Hospital of Texas. “This new room will allow families to create important memories with their baby in a beautiful, peaceful setting.”