Emergency departments (EDs) are built for urgency and movement, where silence rarely lingers. For ED nurse Vicki McCartney, BSN, RN, that contrast became impossible to ignore when she returned to UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central after the stillbirth of her son, Palmer. The experience reshaped how she understood moments of loss in the ED, and it stays with her at the bedside, guiding how she cares for others facing similar circumstances.
While supporting a patient during a pregnancy loss, McCartney recognized how quickly families could be expected to leave the ED and begin processing grief elsewhere.
“Caring for that family helped me see that we had an opportunity to offer more resources and create more time and space for our care teams to support families during loss,” she said. “I gave them everything we had available, but I knew we could do more.” In a setting defined by speed, there is little room for the presence that those moments often require.
That realization led McCartney to develop her UEXCEL Level III project focused on reshaping how EDs support families experiencing pregnancy loss. The goal was not to slow care, but to simplify the required paperwork process and intentionally create space so care teams can remain present during loss. “No matter how difficult, I want to ensure every bereaved family who enters the ED has the support they want, space to grieve and knows they have a community here to support them,” she said.
McCartney began by recentering staff resources around compassion. She transformed the existing bereavement pathway and infant loss paperwork into tailored, color-coded packets by loss type. This streamlined approach reduces time spent navigating administrative steps and allows nurses to remain present when emotional support matters most.
Education and consistency followed. McCartney trained a group of ED nurses to serve as infant compassion companions, designated champions who can step into a patient’s care team during pregnancy loss. These nurses are prepared to guide care, advocate for time and ensure support is delivered with intention throughout the stay.
Support also extends beyond a patient’s ED visit through Palmer Packs. Named in honor of her son, the care packages provide essential postpartum supplies and infant remembrance items, allowing families to return home without navigating additional stops during an already difficult time.
“Mothers must care for themselves after birth,” she said, “and the Palmer Packs allow them to go straight home without needing to stop at the store.” Through partnerships with hospital chaplains, community organizations and the Rocky Mountain Children’s Foundation, infant remembrance blankets and a sympathy card signed by the care team are placed in the Palmer Packs alongside postpartum supplies.
Now implemented across UCHealth Southern Colorado Region EDs, these efforts preserve an essential aspect of emergency care. By prioritizing presence, dignity and connection, McCartney’s work ensures families in the ED are not rushed through grief but supported through it. In those quiet, difficult moments where words may fall short, care begins with staying present.
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