The death of a child is perhaps the most unfathomable loss any of us can imagine. Kristin James and Betsy Hawley, through their work with the Grief Network and the Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition, help ensure families have the resources and support they need to both navigate the complexities of the care a terminally ill child receives and honor the life of that child in meaningful ways.
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Betsy Hawley is the Executive Director of the Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition and has over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management in both healthcare and community development. As a passionate advocate, Betsy speaks extensively on coalition building and pediatric palliative and hospice care and works collaboratively to meet the needs of families and medical professionals caring for children with medical complexity. She serves on the Alliance Pediatric Workgroup, the NHPCC Pediatric Division, the Coalition for Quality at the End of Life, and the Patient Quality of Life Coalition.
Kristin James, LCPC, has specialized in working with families coping with illness, trauma and loss for nearly thirty years. She currently coordinates the Grief Care Network, dedicated to specialized grief support across the lifespan. Kristin is nationally recognized for her work in pediatric palliative care and grief support and serves on the National Coalition for Hospice & Palliative Care Pediatric Division and on the Illinois Hospice & Palliative Care Advisory Board. Kristin has provided clinical consultation and extensive training, advocacy and education to healthcare systems, community agencies, coroner’s offices, funeral professionals, and school systems. She is an experienced clinician and has provided individual, family, and group counseling. Kristin co-founded Missing Pieces and developed a benchmarked program for Pediatric Bereavement Care at Lurie Children's Hospital. She has also participated in and published numerous research studies. Ms. James received her master’s in counseling from Loyola University.
