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JENNIFER BUSH-LAWSON FOUNDATION HOSTS 7 ON YOUR SIDE PHONE BANK “HELP FOR NEW AND EXPECTANT MOMS”

JENNIFER BUSH-LAWSON FOUNDATION HOSTS 7 ON YOUR SIDE PHONE BANK “HELP FOR NEW AND EXPECTANT MOMS”
Arlington – November 3, 2016

The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (“JB-LF”) was proud to host a phone bank hotline dedicated to helping new and expectant moms on ABC 7 WJLA.  The phone bank was staffed by an expert panel from area hospitals, non-profit organizations, and medical practices.  For two hours, calls were fielded from around the DC metro area.  While phone conversations were confidential, Facebook Live footage from ABC 7 WJLA can be viewed here.

“The JB-LF envisions a community where every new mother and newborn receives the support they need to thrive,” said Neal Lawson, Founder and CEO.  “This phone bank allowed the JB-LF to offer confidential support in our current focus locale of Arlington County and to the broader DC Metro area.  We are grateful to ABC 7 WJLA and host Kimberly Suiters for giving us a platform to help on a large scale.”

With years of combined experience and service, JB-LF partners addressed a breadth of concerns from callers regarding post-partum depression, nutrition, breastfeeding, finding insurance, accessing social services, development milestones and more.

“We are humbled by the amazing team of professionals that volunteered their time to answer questions with grace and compassion.  The panel helped make important referrals to concerned mothers and their family members.” said JB-LF Executive Director, Ashley Leonard. “This was a great service to the community.”  The team of professionals included:

Adrienne Griffen
Founder and Executive Director, Postpartum Support Virginia

Andrew Markowski, MD
Emergency Medicine, Suburban Hospital

Bonnie Williams, MSN, RN
Senior Director for Women and Infants, Virginia Hospital Center

Dena Carey, RN
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Virginia Hospital Center

Jyl Elizabeth Pomeroy, RN
Facilitator, New Parents Support & PostPartum Support Groups, Virginia Hospital Center
Manager, Mental Health, Arlington Free Clinic

Karen King, Certified Nurse Midwife
Arlington Women’s Center

Lillian Del Priore, RN
Labor & Delivery, Sibley Memorial Hospital
Instructor, STORK LLC, Provider of Child Birth and Care Classes in the DC Area

Nidhi Rustgi Reva MPH, PA-C
Physician Assistant, Drs. Reiter, Hill, Johnson & Nevin
Founder/Owner, STORK LLC, Provider of Child Birth and Care Classes in the DC Area

Terry Rollo, RN, MSN, PNP
Nurse supervisor, Northern Virginia Pediatrics

About the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation:
Established in December 2014, the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.  Founded in the belief that every mother and every child deserve important healthcare services for a healthy start in life, the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation provides access to medical services, counseling and support for economically vulnerable mothers-to-be, newborn babies and postpartum mothers who don’t have the means or resources to start their journey on solid footing. Jennifer Bush-Lawson dedicated her life to her children and to being the best mother possible. She believed that every mother – regardless of race, color, creed, or economic status – should have an opportunity to do the same.

Virginia Hospital Center Announces $100,000 in Proceeds from the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Memorial 5K

Virginia Hospital Center Announces $100,000 in Proceeds from the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Memorial 5K

Proceeds Will Support Newborn Care at Arlington Pediatric Center

For Immediate Release

Maryanne Boster
Director of Corporate Communications
Virginia Hospital Center
tel: 703.558.6595

Arlington, VA (February 24, 2016) – Virginia Hospital Center is pleased to announce that Arlington Pediatric Center (APC) will be the beneficiary of a $100,000 contribution from the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (JB-LF). On the first anniversary of the formation of the foundation, the JB-LF dedicated $100,000 in proceeds from the JB-LF Memorial 5K & Family Fun Day to support primary care for newborns at APC. APC was established by the Hospital in 2001 to provide medical care to underserved Arlington children.

“Jennifer devoted her life to being an exceptional mother to her children, and as part of her legacy, we are funding an entire year of newborn well-child medical care for 240 newborns in our community who otherwise would have no access to basic healthcare,” said Neal Lawson, Founder & CEO of the JB-LF. “Arlington Pediatric Center and Virginia Hospital Center are our partners in carrying out Jenn’s vision to provide the best possible start in life for every child.”

Arlington Pediatric Center annually provides primary and acute medical care to more than 3,400 uninsured children and children of low-income families each year. “We are truly honored to partner with the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation,” said Arlington Pediatric Center Medical Director Dr. Tatiana Zenzano. “In just one year, JB-LF has become the single largest donor in supporting newborn care at APC. Primary care for newborns is central to our mission to ensure that every child in Arlington has access to care, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.”

The Jennifer Bush Lawson Memorial 5K & Family Fun Day took place on November 21, 2015, and featured a 5K, Kids Fun Run, and outdoor festival. More than 1,500 people attended the event held at the Knights of Columbus in Arlington, Virginia, including more than 1,000 adult and children runners. “Beyond their exceptional financial contribution, the JB-LF has raised significant awareness of the medical needs of vulnerable pregnant women and infants living in our community,” said Jeffrey DiLisi, MD, Virginia Hospital Center Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. “Serving their complex healthcare needs requires many resources and in the JB-LF, Virginia Hospital Center and Arlington Pediatric Center have found an essential partner in providing high-quality medical care to low-income and uninsured women and children.”


 

About Virginia Hospital Center

Virginia Hospital Center has provided exceptional medical services to the Washington, DC metropolitan area for over 70 years and was named a 2015 Top Hospital by The Leapfrog Group and one of America’s 100 Top Hospitals® and 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals® by Truven Health Analytics. The hospital is a proud member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network – a national network of independent healthcare organizations. Virginia Hospital Center is a 350-bed not-for-profit, teaching facility, and it is designated as a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. For more information on Virginia Hospital Center Health System, please visit www.virginiahospitalcenter.com.

About Virginia Hospital Center Foundation

Established in 2007, Virginia Hospital Center Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to raising funds to advance healthcare excellence at Virginia Hospital Center.

 

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Arlington family fulfills mothers dream after her death

Arlington family fulfills mothers dream after her death

ARLINGTON, Va. (WUSA9) — Every mother has likely been there. You’re leaning into the car, trying to quickly buckle up the kids as traffic drives by. That everyday routine cost one Arlington mother her life when a dump truck struck and killed 39-year-old Jennifer Lawson in February 2014.

Now, Neal Lawson and the family are fulfilling her dream.

Each school day starts like your average busy household with young children. Dad criss-crosses the house gathering up 7-year old Cooper, 6-yearold Booker, and 4-year-old Sadie, who was just two-and-a-half when mommy was killed buckling her in to the car seat.

“Last thing she does before bed every night is she has two little pictures above her dresser and she kisses and hugs both and says goodnight to mommy before we put her down,” said Lawson.

It’s been a tough journey filled with counseling, tears, anger and lots of love and support. Neal’s parents stayed for year and now a nanny helps with the morning routine.

“Every morning when they climb into my bed nice and early there’s that moment when I wish I was still asleep, but it’s a blessing to have those three beautiful children as a reflection of her for me to hold and touch today while we remember the amazing person she was,” he said.

Jennifer Bush-Lawson was an artist, an athlete, a mother and a giver; just beginning to donate to new mothers in need of medical care. It’s a vision she started years ago, a dream her family is now fulfilling in the first annual 5k and family fun day in her memory. Neal won’t take credit for doing it all, but Jennifer would be proud.

The race steps off at 8 a.m. at the Knights of Columbus on Little Falls Road in Arlington Saturday, Nov. 21st. The family fun day features moon bounces, face painting, obstacle courses and a beer garden. All proceeds benefit the Jennifer Bush Lawson Memorial Foundation and provides pre-natal and post-natal services to mothers in need through the Virginia Hospital Center and Arlington Pediatric Center. To register or learn more click here: http://jenniferbushlawsonfoundation.org.


Read the the full story and see the interview here: http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/2015/11/18/arlington-family-lawson-death-dump-truck/75987886/

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Husband honors late wife with amazing foundation: The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation

Husband honors late wife with amazing foundation: The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation

Neal and Jennifer Lawson used to talk about how blessed they were.

After 13 years of marriage, they had a happy home in Arlington, with three thriving children: Cooper, Booker, and Sadie.

“She was an incredible mother, ” said Neal of Jenn. “The best I’d ever seen. She poured her heart and soul into it.”

Life as they loved it changed for the Lawsons on February 24, 2014, when a passing dump truck caught the door of Jenn’s minivan as she strapped in Sadie, who was just two years old. The impact knocked Jenn to the ground and ultimately took her life.

Police investigated the accident and looked for every possible distraction. Was the driver texting? No. Was he impaired? No. In the end, his rig was too wide for the narrow lane in front of Nottingham Elementary school, and he was charged with failure to pay full attention. He expressed remorse before a judge and spent 6 days in jail.

Even though every day Neal has to drive his children by a small angel statue that marks the place where the tragic accident happened, he does not dwell on the sudden and brutally unfair end to her life. Instead, he is focused on bringing fairness to families at the beginning of theirs.


Read the the full story and see the interview here: http://wjla.com/news/local/husband-honors-late-wife-with-an-amazing-foundation-the-jennifer-bush-lawson-foundation

‘Mommy was in an accident’: A family tries to heal after a fatal tragedy

Washington Post Article by Matt Zapotosky, March 1, 2015
‘Mommy was in an accident’: A family tries to heal after a fatal tragedy

When Sadie Lawson spots her dad on his computer or phone, the 3-year-old will sometimes hop onto his lap with a simple request: “I want to see Mommy.” Together, she and Neal Lawson scroll through the pictures — Mom at the beach, Mom in her wedding dress, Mom helping her children carve pumpkins — their moods instantly uplifted by the memories.

About a year ago, Jennifer Lawson had just loaded Sadie into her minivan outside of Arlington’s Nottingham Elementary School when a passing dump truck hit her — a grisly crash that left three children without their supermom. Neal Lawson, 42, said he told his kids that night what had happened: “Mommy was in an accident and was killed, and the doctors did everything they could but she didn’t make it.”


Read the the full story here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/her-love-lives-on-family-friends-recall-va-woman-killed-outside-school/2015/03/01/00cc5f66-bc48-11e4-8668-4e7ba8439ca6_story.html