Embracing Texas

A Collaborative Movement Inspired by Everly’s Law Supporting Texas Families Facing Stillbirth

In May 2025, Texas passed House Bill 37, now known as Everly’s Law, named in honor of Everly Grace Talman.

This groundbreaking legislation creates a Perinatal Bereavement Care Initiative aimed at enhancing emotional support for families experiencing the heartbreak of loss. It’s a huge victory for compassionate bereavement care, and we’re so grateful for the advocates who made this possible.

What does this mean for bereavement care in Texas?

Effective September 1, 2025, perinatal bereavement care services will become necessary in hospitals that have a “maternal level of care designation.”

The services that will be made available to parents and family members include:

(1) perinatal bereavement care counseling options; and

(2) any available perinatal bereavement device (aka cooling unit or CuddleCot)

This initiative in Texas is a powerful step for compassionate care; however, there is still work to be done to ensure every designated maternal care hospital in Texas has access to a perinatal bereavement device.

How will we achieve 100% coverage for designated hospitals?

We will achieve 100% coverage by bridging the funding gap - together.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is moving forward to implement Everly’s Law statewide, prioritizing hospitals with the

greatest need. While state dollars will fund resources, they must also stretch to cover counseling, training, and staffing.

This is where we come in!

Our Embracing Texas campaign works alongside this initiative to provide cooling units for designated hospitals—freeing up more state funds to support those vital services.

About Ashlie's Embrace: Founded in 2016, Ashlie's Embrace is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing hospitals nationwide with cooling units (i.e. CuddleCot™). By donating cooling units to hospitals, the organization creates the opportunity for families to spend more time holding, bonding with, and saying goodbye to their child in a comfortable and private setting. Ashlie's Embrace relies on the generosity of individuals, foundations, and community partners to further its mission of bringing comfort and support to families during their most difficult times, ensuring that no family faces the tragedy of infant loss without the option of extended moments with their baby.

Embracing Texas

A fundraiser inspired by Everly’s Law Supporting Texas Families Facing Stillbirth