St. Tammany Health System leadership was joined Tuesday (Aug. 25) by local and state dignitaries in celebration of the Louisiana Legislature’s passage earlier this summer of Angel’s Law, landmark legislation championed by a health system nurse to establish standards of bereavement care for Louisiana families experiencing the loss of an infant or child.
The event, held in the lobby of the health system’s flagship St. Tammany Parish Hospital, brought together healthcare leaders, elected officials, advocates and families affected by infant loss. Among those in attendance were Louisiana State Surgeon General Dr. Evelyn Griffin, a practicing obstetrician; and state Sen. Patrick McMath, who authored the legislation in partnership with St. Tammany Health System Bereavement Nurse Navigator Kristi Lamarque-Bordelon.
“At St. Tammany Health System, we listen not only to patients and families, but also to the caregivers at the bedside who see opportunities to improve care,” St. Tammany Health System President and CEO Joan Coffman said at Tuesday’s event. “This law is the result of a nurse-led initiative. Kristi recognized an unmet need among bereaved families and worked to create meaningful change.”
The law, which grew from Lamarque-Bordelon’s own experience with the loss of a child as well as from her work with bereaved families, ensures that hospitals with maternity units or neonatal intensive care units have access to specialized cooling devices that let families spend unhurried time with their baby should they so choose. It also promotes education for healthcare personnel on compassionate communication and support practices; in addition to helping connect parents with grief counseling, support groups and community resources.
Those practices are already in place at St. Tammany Parish Hospital. Now, patients across the state will have access to the same level of compassionate care.
“Angel’s Law is about creating a consistent standard of bereavement care so our families do not have to depend upon where they live or which hospital they entered,” Lamarque-Bordelon said. “They get compassion, dignity and support no matter where they live.”
McMath said his first meeting with Lamarque-Bordelon opened his eyes to the number of families affected by infant and child loss – and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference through legislation.
“I had no idea so many mothers and family members go through what is a heartbreaking experience,” McMath said. “The number really shocked me. When we got out of that meeting and (Kristi) left, I looked at my secretary and said, ‘This is why I love this job so much, because I get to hear stories and experiences from constituents and I get to help do something about it.’ And we did.”
The legislation, formally known as the Perinatal Bereavement Care Initiative, ultimately received overwhelming bipartisan support, with 118 legislative partners coauthoring the bill ahead of its adoption this past June.
Tuesday’s event was highlighted by a moving testimonial from advocate and mother Sarah Montreuil, who lost her daughter at birth. With Lamarque-Bordelon at her side, Montreuil reflected on the care she and her family received from St. Tammany Health System during the most difficult period of their lives.
“When I first heard of the work Kristi was doing with Angel’s Law, that is when I realized, ‘Wow, so not everybody receives the standard of care that we did that day,’” Montreuil said. “Then I could not stop thinking about how much harder the hardest day of our life would have been without the care and guidance Kristi and St. Tammany gave to us that day and the days and weeks to follow.”
Following the program, Lamarque-Bordelon led Griffin and members of her team on a tour of St. Tammany Health System’s New Family Center, including its Obstetrics Emergency Department, and the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
“As a mother, I think (Angel’s Law) is a phenomenal program, just to support mothers in such a tender part of their lives,” Griffin said after the tour. “As a physician, I have unfortunately seen the heartache of the tragedy of losing life, so to be able to have a program like this that honors life is just very important not only to the mother but to the community and to our whole state, so I am very grateful to hospitals like St. Tammany that are taking on this program.
“And then, finally, as a state surgeon general, I am happy that this is a state law now that can help communities across our entire state.”
St. Tammany Health System will build on the momentum of Angel’s Law by hosting Walking With Angels – A Walk of Remembrance from 9 to 11 a.m. Sept. 19 at the Koop Drive Pavilion, 21404 Koop Drive in Covington. The inaugural event will honor families who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or the loss of an infant or child, and offer an opportunity to come together with others who understand the journey of grief and remembrance.
Visit StTammany.health/News/WalkingWithAngels2026 for more information about Walking With Angels, including registration details.
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About St. Tammany Health System
The heartbeat of its community, St. Tammany Health System cares for patients and families with excellence, compassion and teamwork. It is recognized for quality, safety and service excellence by CareChex, Leapfrog, Healthgrades, Hospital Compare, Women’s Choice and US News & World Report. St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 and Ochsner Health work together in partnership to improve the community’s health and quality of life. Together, west St. Tammany’s top two independent health leaders represent the most complete system of care, aligning behind the common goals of improving access, expanding specialty care and making care affordable. Under their agreement, each retains its autonomy; neither manages nor owns the other. Self-supporting, not-for-profit STHS is A+ rated by Fitch and receives no tax funding. More at StTammany.health.