Gems of Care is a newly-formed national program dedicated to improving the continuity and coordination of health care and social services for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. Gems of Care will achieve improved integration of services by facilitating networking and dissemination of expertise between hospitals and community-based organizations, both within identified geographical regions and throughout the country.

Gems of Care (GOC) was initiated by The Jason Program, an innovative community-based interdisciplinary clinical and training program based in Maine, and in collaboration with Jewelers for Children (JFC), the industry charity for manufacturers, retail jewelers, trade associations, watch companies and those who provide professional services to the jewelry industry.  For many years, JFC has generously supported a variety of programs on behalf of children whose lives have been impacted by catastrophic illness or life-threatening abuse and neglect.  JFC is supporting the development of the program financially, and local jewelers throughout the country will also be invited to participate.

Gems of Care will be guided by a group of advisors composed of leaders representing hospitals, hospice and home care organizations, community coalitions, and other groups serving children and families. 

In 2003, the Institute of Medicine published its landmark report, When Children Die, which brought into public focus the often unmet needs of children with life-threatening conditions and their families.  Since that time, the provision of health care and other services for these children and families has made a number of strides, including development of practice standards, expansion of educational opportunities for professionals, formation of community coalitions, growth of existing programs, and initiation of new ones. Despite these advances, much remains to be done. 

The IOM report refers to "fragmented health and social services systems" which are "confusing, unreliable, incomplete, and exhausting to negotiate" for children and their families.  Three years after the release of the report, care continues to be fragmented.  Families describe being overwhelmed by having to find and coordinate care in the multiple settings of hospital, home, and by having to communicate with numerous medical specialists and service providers. 

Gems of Care was formed to address these critical unmet needs for improved continuity and coordination of care, and is committed to meeting the challenge posed by the Institute of Medicine:  "Children and their families need community systems of care that respond to the differences in child and family circumstances and values and that provide a range of services and settings of care to accommodate these differences."Building these integrated systems of care will require concerted teamwork between professionals representing hospitals, home care agencies, hospice programs, schools, and local pediatricians, collaborating closely with seriously ill children, their families, and their communities.

Working closely with GOC advisors, communities will be helped to analyze existing gaps in the organization and delivery of care, and then to develop action plans to address those gaps.  A variety of resources will be available to interested communities through the GOC program, including:

• Consultation from clinicians, community-based leaders, and consumers with experience developing integrated systems of care.
• Learning opportunities in the form of interdisciplinary educational retreats offered by The Initiative for Pediatric Palliative Care (IPPC), a national initiative spearheaded by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC).  In addition, GOC will recommend relevant curricular materials and educational programs matched to the needs of learners.
• Streamlined information and resources through web-based collaboration linking families, professionals, and organizations devoted to improved continuity and coordination of care.  GOC will implement integrated resource-sharing through linking of GOC website and close collaboration with Caring Connections, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization; and Partnership for Parents, a program of Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition.

For more information, please register here or contact Kate Eastman, PsyD, LCSW at (207) 773-2947 or info@gemsofcare.org.