INELDA Update – JUNE/JULY 2026
Serious Illness Doulas in South Carolina
Educator Neiasha Russell joined staff, volunteers, and community care providers at Hospice and Palliative Care of the Piedmont in South Carolina for serious illness doula training. This training centered on delivering care to those living with a serious illness and how to utilize the INELDA Doula Approach with this population.
CCAC End-of-Life Symposium
This May, educator Nzinga E. Abdullah-Aziz and INELDA’s director of partnerships and communications, Loren Talbot, presented at the Community College of Allegheny County’s end-of-life symposium, Bridging Gaps: Strengthening End-Of-Life Care Through Education in Nursing. Their presentation, “Integrating End-of-Life Doula Support for the Unhoused: Developing Care in Pittsburgh,” discussed the grant INELDA was awarded in 2024 by the McElhattan Foundation.
In early June, participants gathered from around the country for the Omega Home Network National Conference. Director of education Omni Kitts Ferrara presented INELDA’s Doula-In-Residency program at Inhora (which happened to be the conference host!) alongside Inhora’s executive director Miles Gloetzner and doula-in-residence Carmen Harris. To learn more about the program or to bring it to your community, contact [email protected].
Welcome Anthea and Yesenia
This past month we were lucky to have two new colleagues join us at INELDA. Educator Anthea Grimason is a certified INELDA end-of-life doula and clinical counseling student specializing in existential psychology, psychedelic-assisted therapy, grief, and addiction. Yesenia Lira‑Baus joined as an educator assistant. She is an end‑of‑life doula weaving together emotional support, spiritual exploration, and nature‑based healing. Her background spans mental health, elder care, housing, and multicultural education. We are excited to welcome these two individuals as part of the team!
INELDA educator Omni Kitts Ferrara, director of partnerships and communications Loren Talbot, and INELDA-trained doula Kim Nicholetti appeared in a June 2026 Newsday article, “Long Island’s death doulas offer emotional, spiritual and practical support to individuals at the end of life” (paywall).
In the News
This past April 2026, Connecting Directors, a funeral industry publication, featured executive director Douglas Simpson sharing his perspective on the “Nicole Kidman effect” and the ripples it has on the end-of-life doula community.
Posted 6/9/2026