How we help

Family Support

We have a team of experienced Family Support Workers at Starship, Auckland City Hospital and all throughout the country. They support heart children, teens, adults and their whānau by assessing their needs, visiting them at hospital or at home, providing practical and emotional support, and connecting them to appropriate community services and professional help. They also help with matching families to others who are navigating a similar journey.

Pre-natal Support

Finding out that your newborn baby may have a cardiac issue can be overwhelming. We are here to provide support and information in an unbiased and non-judgmental manner. Contact us at [email protected] if you would like to talk to us. We can put you in touch with our experienced Family Support Workers and provide information about your journey ahead.

Information

We have a variety of easy to understand publications and online information resources available to help heart children, teens, adults and their whānau learn more about living with a childhood heart condition.

Family Days & Murmurs Coffee Groups

Our local Heart Kids branches organise regular family days and coffee groups for heart families in their region. Get in touch with your local Family Support Worker to find out when those events are happening in your area next.

Heart Kids Camps

Each year Heart Kids puts on a camp for heart children and heart teens. For many heart children and youth attending their school camp simply isn’t an option. Heart Kids camps make this a possibility and provide an opportunity for children and teens to come together with others in a similar situation. If you would like to find out more about our camps, please contact us.

Coaguchek Kits

Heart Kids members on anti-coagulant medication can receive a blood-testing machine free of charge. These machines are designed for home use and allow you to conduct the required blood tests at home and with just one drop of blood taken from a finger prick. The machines are purchased by Heart Kids and are distributed and managed by the Nurse Specialists at Starship when the need arises. Heart Kids has been providing these machines for over a decade now thanks to the generosity of our corporate sponsors.

Practical Support

Heart Kids provides hospital care packs, food and petrol vouchers and travel subsidies to its members. Those services are coordinated by your local branch. If you require this type of support, please contact your local Family Support Worker who will help with the application process.

Education Forum

The Heart Kids Education Forum is an educational event that provides information on medical advances in the area of congenital heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, diagnosis, heart transplantation, fetal medicine, transition and the emotional impact having a heart condition can present to family life. We are planning the next Education Forum to be held early in 2022. If you would like to be kept informed, please let us know.

CPR Training & First Aid Courses

We provide access to CPR training and First Aid courses. These courses are organised by our local Heart Kids branches. If you would like to find out about the upcoming courses in your region, please contact your local Family Support Worker.