Families who experience the loss of a child often face long-term emotional challenges, highlighting the need for expanded grief and trauma support services. Photo: Courtesy of Intermountain Health

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital has been selected as the fourth children’s hospital in the nation to join a nationwide initiative to standardize and implement best-practice treatments for high-quality emotional trauma and bereavement care at children’s hospitals across the United States, health officials announced Tuesday.

The group, called the Trauma and Grief (TAG) Network, is a program led by the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute’s Trauma and Grief Center with support from the New York Life Foundation.

Health leaders say the designation comes at a critical time. In Utah, about one in 15 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling before age 18, making bereavement one of the most common and challenging forms of trauma for young people.

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Experts warn that without proper support, children facing grief are at higher risk for academic struggles, depression, substance use, and other long-term challenges.

The TAG Network aims to standardize best practices for treating childhood trauma and grief across children’s hospitals nationwide. Through the partnership, Primary Children’s will receive specialized training, consultation, and tools to expand evidence-based care for young patients.

“This partnership will help ensure children and families throughout Utah and the Intermountain West have access to the highest standard of care,” said Dr. Julie Kaplow, executive director of the Trauma and Grief Center.

The designation builds on existing programs at Primary Children’s, including its Center for Safe and Healthy Families, which has provided trauma-informed care and trained more than 1,000 therapists across the region.

Hospital leaders say the new affiliation will expand access to services, including Multidimensional Grief Therapy—an evidence-based treatment specifically designed for children experiencing loss.

With the new designation, Intermountain officials say Utah families will have increased access to specialized care aimed at helping children navigate grief and build long-term resilience.