Support for Grieving Families
31st October, 2007
Wide Bay families who have experienced the loss of a baby through stillbirth, miscarriage or prematurity will benefit from a re-elected Coalition Government’s plan to extend access to specialist grief counselling, Federal Member for Wide Bay, Warren Truss, announced today.Mr Truss said that despite significant advances in medicine and technology, it is sadly the case that in Australia today, one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage and one in every 200 babies is stillborn.
“More than 17,000 Australian babies, or around five per cent of births, are born prematurely each year. While many grow up healthy and active, premature babies have a far greater chance of experiencing ill-health or death around the time of their birth,” Mr Truss said.
“Local families and individuals who experience the loss of a much-wanted baby need timely access to support and information from qualified counsellors who understand the trauma they are experiencing.
“That is why I am delighted that a re-elected Coalition Government will provide the Bonnie Babes Foundation with $800,000 to assist with producing and distributing their specialist information resources and to establish a free-call phone number to help Wide Bay families reach trained counsellors,” he said.
The Bonnie Babes Foundation counsellors are experienced volunteers who have undergone comprehensive training to provide grief counselling for any member of a family or their friends who are grieving following the loss of a pregnancy.
Established in 1994, the Bonnie Babes Foundation now has branches in every Australian State and more than 1,000 volunteers nationally. The Foundation has also launched services to help grieving families in the US and the UK.
ENDS
