Parents Empowering Parents: A Parenting Course for Parents of Children With Bleeding Disorders (PEP) Has a New Website!

DETROIT, Nov. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Parents Empowering Parents, generally known as "PEP," has a new website.  This website was made possible through PEP's partnership with the Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan, who is now PEP's fiduciary administrator.  

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101123/HFMLOGO)  

The Parents Empowering Parents program was originally co-created and developed in 1995-96 by medical social worker, Danna Merritt, MSW, LMSW of the Hemophilia Treatment Center of Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, and psychologist Sandra Joseph, Ph.D. of MapleTree Counseling Services.  Input from parents also living with bleeding disorders gave the authors direction in identifying key issues which needed to be addressed in the process-oriented empowerment program.  Jeanne Lusher, M.D. and the entire hemophilia treatment center staff at Children's collaborated with Merritt and Joseph to build and nurture the PEP program.  When asked what she believes is most significant about PEP's conception, Merritt noted, " PEP not only builds on a parent's existing parenting skills, it is designed for them to provide opportunities to address the myriad challenges they must confront when raising a child with a chronic bleeding disorder in a supportive setting with other parents living in like circumstances."  

The program is a parent-to-parent program taught by a carefully trained team of professionals and parents.  Parents having children with inherited bleeding disorders should attend the program.

The program is available across the United States, and has also moved into the international inherited bleeding disorders community as well.  Hemostasis Thrombophilia Treatment Centers can be found throughout the USA, Spain, Israel, New Zealand and Australia.  Thousands of parents have been through the program since 1996!  

Today, PEP thrives in part due to the commitment and development efforts of a diverse and talented National Steering Committee made up of treatment center social workers, nurses, and parents from all over the country.  It is this committee that spearheads and supports PEP efforts throughout each year.  For more information, see PEP's website at: http://www.hfmich.org/programs/pep_-_parents_empowering_parents.html

PEP is currently being supported in part by an educational grant from Bayer HealthCare LLC.  

SOURCE Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan