Mental health services for heart warriors, their families, and caregivers

Supporting the mental wellness of heart warriors, their families and caregivers is a top priority for Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation. The stress and challenges heart parents and caregivers face can have significant and lasting effects if not properly addressed.

Recent research shows that parents of children with critical congenital heart disease (CHD) are at an elevated risk for mental health problems. Up to 50% report clinically elevated symptoms of depression and/or anxiety and 80% present with clinically significant symptoms of trauma.

Ollie’s Branch is an access point to mental health specialists that support heart families (including the heart warrior and their parents, siblings, grandparents, and other primary caregivers) through therapy sessions. This program continues to be available to heart families if their heart warrior is now a heart angel. Ollie’s Branch is a resource that families can continue to take advantage of throughout their – and their child’s – lifetime.

In the spirit of supporting the heart community, OHHF offers a sliding-scale approach to ensure we can help as many heart individuals, families, and healthcare professionals as possible. We offer Ollie’s Branch clients an option to pay what they can for their mental health care. This allows us to help those who would otherwise be unable to contribute towards these services. On Ollie’s Branch intake form, you will see options for paying amounts based on where you live and the cost of care in your area.

The decision to pay is entirely yours based on what you can afford. If you can, the more you pay toward your care, the more it will help offset the cost of mental health support for our community. Your decision – and the amount you choose – to pay will have no bearing on the quality of care you receive. No information about your decision to pay, the amount you pay, or your payment method will be shared with the therapist with whom you are matched through Ollie’s Branch.

To get started, use this model to guide your decision-making:

MISSION AND EQUITY COMMITMENT

The mission of Ollie’s Branch is to offer compassionate, accessible mental health support to allow peace of mind for families and caregivers of children with or affected by pediatric heart disease.

We achieve this by wrapping families in love to create a safe space to access mental health support with dignity.

Ollie’s Branch is committed to providing trustworthy mental health support that represents every heart family and to removing barriers to treatments such as:

  • Availability of resources
  • Accessibility
  • Finances
  • Stigma
  • Technology

Ollie’s Branch makes space to speak one’s mind and share all of one’s heart regardless of race, color, nationality or ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion or spirituality, language, national or social origin, ability, and socioeconomic background.

You can count on Ollie’s Branch to match you with a therapist that is experienced in trauma, loss, and resiliency. Most importantly, we will match you with a therapist that reflects your needs and preferences.

LOCATIONS

In order to ensure we are using our resources as equitably and sustainably as possible, Ollie’s Branch is currently only available to heart families whose heart warrior primarily receives or received cardiac care at a hospital where we have a current partnership. If you or your heart warrior primarily receives cardiac care at another hospital, please check out the following resources to help get you connected with a therapist:

The hearts on this map represent our hospital partners; hover over them to see their names. If you live in another state – but travel to one of our hospital partners for your/your heart warrior’s primary cardiac care – we can still match you with a therapist who is licensed in your home state.

*available to current hospital partners

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI Hospital Partners:

  • St. Louis Children’s Hospital
  • Cardinal Glennon
  • Mercy Kids

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS Hospital Partner:

  • Children’s Mercy Kansas City

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Hospital Partner:

  • Lurie Children’s Hospital

NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Hospital Partners:

  • Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
  • Rady Children’s Hospital

CLEVELAND, OHIO Hospital Partner:

  • UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS Hospital Partner:

  • Boston Children’s Hospital

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA Hospital Partner:

  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

TENNESSEE

  • Brett Boyer Foundation

ATLANTA/GEORGIA Hospital Partner:

  • Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (made possible by Brett Boyer Foundation)
THERAPISTS

Our diverse community of therapists specializes in the trauma heart families face, and they create a safe forum while lessening the stigma surrounding mental health. If you would like to be matched with one of the therapists in our Ollie’s Branch community, apply here.

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FAQS
General/Eligibility
  • Heart warriors with any type of pediatric heart disease, including congenital heart disease and acquired pediatric heart disease, and their parents, siblings, grandparents, or other primary caregivers.

    In order to ensure we are using our resources as equitably and sustainably as possible, Ollie’s Branch is currently only available to heart families whose heart warrior primarily receives cardiac care at a hospital where we have a current partnership (see map above). If you or your heart warrior primarily receives or received cardiac care at another hospital, please check out the following resources to help get you connected with a therapist:

  • Heart family clients receive eight sessions with a therapist. This is eight sessions for each person if multiple in a family want to participate. Hospital staff from participating partner hospitals who work directly with heart families are offered six sessions. Ollie’s Branch is a lifelong support so you can also re-engage in sessions as new events happen throughout your life.

  • Hospital staff are an integral part of the care team for a heart warrior. We offer six therapy sessions for healthcare professionals working at these hospitals: St. Louis Children’s Hospital, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, Mercy Children’s Hospital St. Louis, Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas City, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, Rady Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Staff must be working in or directly with the heart center and have been in their position for at least six months. To receive a referral, email olliesbranch@theohhf.org.

  • Yes! You are eligible for Ollie’s Branch regardless of your insurance status. Therapists will send invoices directly to OHHF so you never have to see a bill.

  • You will need to be physically present in the state in which your therapist is licensed in order to continue sessions with that therapist. For example, if your therapist is licensed in Missouri but you live in Oklahoma and return there after discharge and your therapist is not licensed there, you will need to work with a therapist who is licensed in that state.

    There are many instances where we will be able to continue providing services to you or your family but you may need to switch to a new Ollie’s Branch therapist in your home state. In these situations, you will start your session count over with the new therapist.

    Please reach out to olliesbranch@theohhf.org if you are returning home and will not be able to continue with your current therapist.

  • Yes, you, your child, and/or your family can still participate in Ollie’s Branch even if your child is not inpatient and regardless of the age of your heart warrior. This program offers a lifeline to lifelong support.

  • Yes, Ollie’s Branch services are available to families and caregivers at any time in their journey and for both living children and those we keep in our hearts. If you are looking for additional support for grief or connecting other heart parents who have lost their heart warriors, please contact communityoutreach@theohhf.org for more information and resources.

  • Yes! Ollie’s Branch is a lifelong support service. If you have new needs and already completed sessions previously, please reach out to us at olliesbranch@theohhf.org to get started again in services through Ollie’ Branch.

  • Yes! Ollie’s Branch is available to adult heart warriors with CHD and their families.

  • OHHF’s Resources page links to many wonderful organizations based on the type of support you seek. For a specific recommendation based on your needs, please contact us at olliesbranch@theohhf.org. In addition, your hospital’s psychology and/or social work team is also a great resource.

Process
  • Let us know you are interested by completing the form here or by sending us an email at olliesbranch@theohhf.org. If your child is inpatient, you can also speak with your hospital social worker to have them send a referral to Ollie’s Branch. Once we receive a request for services, we review the information provided in the intake form and identify a therapist within our community that may be a good fit and make the referral. The therapist will then reach out to you to schedule an appointment at a time that works for both parties.

  • Someone from the OHHF team will respond to your request within about a week and you can expect to be matched with a therapist within a few weeks. To make sure we are operating fairly, Ollie’s Branch is only available if you or your heart warrior receives/received cardiac care at one of our partner hospitals (see map above). If you or your heart warrior is at another hospital, we cannot currently support. We will get back to you if we are able to in the future. Check out the following to help you connect with a therapist.

Therapy Sessions/Therapists
  • Most sessions are completed virtually with your therapist. The therapist will share instructions about how to join the virtual session once you are scheduled. Sessions may be completed in-person if agreed upon between you and your therapist. See below FAQ for more information.

  • We do have some therapists who are available to see clients in-person, depending on where you live and where you are looking for support. Please note that we cannot guarantee immediate in-person availability for therapists.

  • You can work with your therapist directly to figure out what works best for you. It is possible that sessions may be able to be completed in-person or via telephone without video needs. If you continue to have issues, please reach out to us at olliesbranch@theohhf.org.

  • Each therapy session is 50 minutes unless otherwise discussed with your therapist.

  • Once OHHF matches a client with a therapist, we will only receive an invoice for your session(s) and some anonymous (private) summary data. We will not know any details about your visit and any data received will be for evaluation purposes and you will not be able to be identified. All clients should review the privacy policy included with the intake form.

  • We understand that life while caring for a child with pediatric heart disease is unpredictable, especially for parents who are inpatient with their heart warrior. We ask that if you need to cancel or reschedule a session, you do so at least 24 hours in advance. If you miss a session due to an emergency situation, we understand and will allow you to reschedule. However, anyone who misses two sessions will be removed from the program.

    Please note, some therapists have differing cancellation policies and OHHF defers to those policies in place of the one listed above.

  • Ollie’s Branch therapists are a diverse group of individuals who all have a background treating patients dealing with trauma, loss, anxiety, depression, and/or resiliency. All therapists are fully or provisionally licensed in the market they are supporting. If a therapist is provisionally licensed, OHHF obtains sign-off from the therapist’s supervisor for the therapist to receive referrals.

  • Of course! While we think all of our therapists are wonderful, we also understand that therapy is a really personal experience and sometimes you might not connect with someone for one reason or another. Contact olliesbranch@theohhf.org to let us know what isn’t working and we will work to find a better fit.

Optional Client Payment
  • We are working to support the growth and expansion of the Ollie’s Branch program to ensure we can provide access to necessary mental health support for as many as possible. If you are in a position to, the more you pay toward the cost of your care, the more it will help offset the cost of mental health support for others who are not.

  • No. The decision to pay is yours based on what you feel you can afford. If you cannot pay, services will continue to be 100% free for the duration of your participation in Ollie’s Branch, and the quality of your care will remain unchanged.

  • The following graphic can serve as a guide to inform your decision. The amount you pay will have no bearing on the care you receive.

  • On the intake form, you will see several options for paying amounts based on where you live and the cost of care in your area. You will select – or enter – your desired amount and provide information on the payment method you would like to use. You will make your first payment upon being matched with a therapist. All subsequent payments will be made via your submitted on-file payment method following OHHF’s receipt of your therapy session (s) ‘s invoice (s). You will be only charged your selected payment amount for the session(s) you have while engaged in the Ollie’s Branch program.

  • You can change the amount – or opt out – of payment at any time by emailing olliesbranch@theohhf.org.

  • Nothing. No information about your decision to pay, the amount you pay, or your payment method will be shared with the therapist with whom you are matched through Ollie’s Branch.

More questions than what we answered above? Reach out to our team at olliesbranch@theohhf.org.

CONTACT US
144 W. Lockwood Ave, Suite201 Webster Groves, MO 63119

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Riley’s Story

Riley was born with tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary stenosis and complete heart block. He underwent his first open heart surgery at just two months old to repair his heart and a few weeks later had a cardiac pacemaker placed. Since then he has had his pacemaker replaced twice, once after coding in the hospital, and will need additional replacements as he grows.

Riley is happy and healthy living at home with his amazing grandmother, Tracy, and enjoys playing catch, singing and working on PT and OT with Missouri First Steps.

Stella’s Story

Stella was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) in December 2015 – a CHD that meant she would only have half a working heart and need a series of three surgeries to reconstruct her heart’s anatomy. She underwent her first open heart surgery when she was only two days old, and then additional surgeries at four months old and three years old. Thankfully her gifted surgeons were able to create a stable heart for Stella and she has been the light of her family’s life ever since!

Today Stella is a spunky and smiley five year old that brightens the day of everyone she meets.

Evie’s Story

Evie was born at twenty weeks with hypoplastic right heart syndrome. Her surgeons had planned a series of three surgeries to repair her heart, but unfortunately at birth they discovered her coronaries were missing or abnormal. At one week old, Evie was listed for a heart transplant. While waiting for her hero heart, she was placed on ECMO. At eight weeks old she was blessed with a second chance at life and received a heart transplant!

After eighty-two days inpatient, Evie went home for the first time where her parents are able to enjoy their happy and healthy baby girl.

Emmalyn’s Story

Emmalyn is a year and a half old and was born with Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA). She had her first surgery at four days old and then again at nine days old. She has since had two angioplasties.

Emmalyn is healthy and thriving. She loves to eat fruit of all kinds, play with all of her animals, play in water, and be outside!

Heart Warrior - financial request

Calvin’s Story

Calvin was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect at fifteen months after the pediatrician noticed a heart murmur, along with other chronic respiratory issues. Calvin has undergone two open heart surgeies in order to re-establish correct blood flow and repair his CHD.

Although Calvin’s CHD will always require specialized care, he is now a happy and thriving four and a half year old. He loves to play golf, play outside, drive his gator and anything to do with trucks, tractors, trains or airplanes.

Allyson’s Story

Allyson is a five year old Heart Warrior. She was diagnosed with a single ventricle heart, heterotaxy syndrome, Noonan’s Syndrome and has survived multiple heart surgeries and a long list of complications over her little life.

Allyson is a preschooler and is so excited to go to kindergarten next year! She has three older siblings who mean the world to her. Allyson is extremely adventurous and her favorite thing to do is go to Target.

This girl is so full of spunk and fight and she is changing the world around her with her story.

NYTASHA TAYLOR
Chairperson

Express Scripts, Vice President Drug Sourcing

JENNY BROSSEAU
Vice Chairperson

Senior Vice President Diverse Customer Segments, Consumer and Small Business Banking
Wells Fargo

TIM WALKENHORST, CFP
Financial Chair

Financial Advisor, Renaissance Financial

KATY LINNENBRINGER
Member At Large
Criminal Defense Attorney, Pelikan & Orris LLC

TEMEKA GAUSS
Advise and Counsel Lead, BJC Healthcare

TONY IRACE
Owner, Packaging Concepts Inc.

DR. LESLIE DAVIS
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Relationship Coach in Private Practice
Heart Mom

RICK PUDER
Retired Senior Leader in Customer Experience, Training, and Sales Enablement
Adult Heart Warrior

ROBBIE DEALEY
Operations Manager, Missouri Center for Public Health Excellence
Adult Heart Warrior

Ari’s Story

Meet Ari, our spunky vivacious 5-year-old heart warrior, Miss America contestant, and Latoya heart mom extraordinaire. Miss Bey was diagnosed with complex single ventricle heart disease early in her mom’s pregnancy.

Their story has also been complicated by congenital heart disease and cancer. Latoya was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent treatment before Ari’s birth.

Ari had her first open heart surgery at one week of age and her second at 6 months old. This dynamic mother-daughter duo are the real heroes.

Diego’s Story

Meet Diego, a 14-year-old heart warrior with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. He has endured multiple surgeries that rerouted his blood flow to maximize his heart’s function. These procedures have been so effective that he has been cleared to play sports and leads a life without constraints.

Diego is an active teen who loves flag football, video games, dad jokes, and walking his dog. His laugh is infectious and always brings an energy and joy that lights up any room. He is the oldest of two brothers, and despite the typical sibling rivalry, he enjoys hanging out with his younger brother and playing video games.

Jenn Hinkle was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and attended DePaul University in Chicago, where she graduated in 2004 with a degree in marketing. Jenn’s early career began at Gibsons Steak House in Chicago, where she gained invaluable experience in hospitality and met her soul mate. Chicago is Jenn’s second home, but St. Louis called her back to start the next chapter of her life with Mark Hinkle. Jenn’s career in the restaurant industry continued to flourish as she welcomed her first child, Maddie, into the world in 2009. Then shortly after, along came Oliver in 2011.

Ollie was born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) that took their family in and out of the hospital for nearly 14 months. Unfortunately, he lost his battle with CHD in 2013. From this experience, the Hinkle’s set out to take their love for Ollie and all the love they were shown and share it with others. Jenn and Mark know firsthand the heartache and struggle of having a critically ill child and what a difference even the tiniest gesture of love can make. They took the pain and grief they felt and turned it into a way to give back to help them heal and, at the same time, spread more love to the heart community than they could ever imagine through the Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation (OHHF).

The Hinkle’s started investing in technology and research through the Children’s Heart Foundation, where they also served on the board for 3 years. Through that experience, they decided that they also wanted to provide outreach and individualized support to heart families. Today OHHF is a successful and influential organization thanks to Jenn’s leadership, as she positioned the team and programs to be the go-to resource for heart families and healthcare professionals in St. Louis and beyond. In addition, Jenn and Mark co-own the Olive + Oak Hospitality Group, where they have established their home in the Webster Groves community with their two daughters, Maddie and Annie, and fulfilling Ollie’s legacy.

Born and raised in Alton, Illinois, Mark fell in love with food at an early age. When he wasn’t terrorizing the neighborhood with his three brothers, he would indulge in his favorite cooking shows featuring the likes of Emeril Lagasse, Jack McDavid, and Martin Yan. Never foreseeing a “career” in food, he attended the University of Illinois and pursued a degree in business. To earn a little cash, he worked in kitchens in Champaign. After graduating, he moved to Chicago, where he landed a job in banking. Though it all looked great on paper, he couldn’t resist his true calling with one of the most outstanding restaurant cities in the country at his fingertips; the banking gig didn’t last long.

He took his first front-of-house job working at the perpetually busy Hugo’s Frog Bar and Fish House. Under some of Chicago’s best Maître D’s guidance, he learned how to run a great restaurant. While he never lost his passion for the kitchen, he followed his dreams of delivering old-school hospitality. After stints within Gibsons Restaurant Group, at RL and Gibsons Steakhouse, he earned a spot as General Manager of Hugo’s at 25 and swept his true love off her feet. In early 2007, Mark and Jenn moved back to St. Louis to tie the knot, start a family, and join what was becoming an inspiring local restaurant community.

After acting as General Manager for two restaurant openings, Mark eventually found a home at the Chesterfield landmark, Annie Gunn’s; he found his niche there. His passion for not just the guests but also food, wine, beer, cocktails, and all aspects of the business evolved. In 2015, after falling in love with the character and charm of Webster Groves, Mark set out to bring something new to the neighborhood his family called home. Determined to create a warm, bustling spot with thoughtfully prepared food and gracious hospitality, Olive + Oak was born. As additional opportunities in Old Webster presented themselves, the group expanded, opening The Clover & the Bee, O+O Pizza, Perennial on Lockwood, and a private event venue, The Hall.

Mark’s leadership and impact on the local restaurant community have been profound, putting Webster Groves on the map for some of the best culinary delights and wine pairings in town while creating awareness about pediatric heart disease through their family’s story.

Diya’s Story

Diya was born in 2007 with double outlet right ventricle with hypoplastic left ventricle and has a twin brother. She underwent three open heart surgeries early in life. She lives a healthy life with the support of her cardiac team.

Diya loves socializing with her friends, is focused on good grades, and is highly athletic. She is a starting pitcher on her high school’s baseball team, training to be a powerlifter, and has earned the President’s Education Award for academic excellence. At age 11, she earned college credits in algebra and pre-calculus from Arizona State University. Diya is inspiring other heart children to find their possible.

Beth grew up in St. Louis City as an only child and a fierce point guard at Bishop DuBourg Highschool before leaving St. Louis to fill her desire to see and know the world after completing her BSN at Deaconess College of Nursing to start her career in Colorado then onto California where she trained at the University of California-San Francisco as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP). Then onto Arizona as an NNP for a private practice Neonatology group before being recruited as the Program Director of Fetal & High-Risk Cardiac Infant Programs, Outpatient Cardiology Supervisor, & Cardiac Nurse Practitioner before returning to St. Louis in 2012 to spend the next nine years of her career with BJC Healthcare System, first as a manager then as their Director of The Heart Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital & Washington University, Cath Lab & Recovery, Mechanical Assist: ECMO & CRRT, Perfusion, Interventional Radiology, Care Coordination along with serving as the Chief Advanced Practice Provider for St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Barnes Jewish Hospital.

As Beth’s career path took her back to her hometown, it was clear that so much had remained unchanged in healthcare and racial inequities. Beth credits Amy Hunter, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion of Caleres, for entering her life and inspiring her to do more to move the needle at St Louis Children’s Hospital regarding race equity culture and dismantling oppression. Beth is committed to doing her own personal work along with leading and infusing racial equity work into everything she touches, for example, by developing the Antiracism Coalition Oversight Board for the Cardiac Service Line, executive leadership support of the Black Hair Care Project, and leading a comprehensive DEI strategic development and deployment plan.

Beth was honored to join the Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation (OHHF) in 2018 to serve as a board member supporting OHHF’s mission. This role allowed Beth to be a thought partner for OHHF’s strategic direction to keep putting the “Heart Back in Healthcare” by eliminating barriers to mental health care while serving as a liaison between OHHF with local children’s hospital(s) and services to cultivate relationships focused on community involvement and philanthropy to provide financial and social benefits to the greater heart community.

As one chapter closes, a new chapter begins for Beth Rumack as the Director of Partnerships with the Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation to serve our local and national community bringing Ollie’s Branch to new markets to eliminate barriers to access to mental health care, impact state, and federal policy, and address social determinants of physical and psychological health through a collective lens.

Addison’s Story

Addison was born in 2008 with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome with Shone’s Complex. This was unknown to her parents until she was emergently transported from her home in Yuma to Phoenix, Arizona, during her first week of life. Addie had five open heart surgeries and overcame two runs on ECMO, all before age five. Addie represents perseverance. Her favorite color was purple, and she loved backpacks.

Addie’s life was far too short, and her story is not perfect, but it is a life she made perfect for herself and everyone around her.

Addison warrior
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