Medical Provider FAQs
As a healthcare professional, you are where the story starts.
Receiving a new, unexpected Down syndrome diagnosis can be life-changing for a family, and it can come with a wide range of raw emotions. With your knowledge and dedication as a healthcare provider, you have the opportunity to meet families where they are, validate their emotions, and help guide them through the initial steps in their journey.
Jack’s Basket is here to support you in that role. Whether you’re looking for training, resources, or information about requesting a basket for a family, you’ll find answers to many of the most common questions below.
Receiving a Down syndrome diagnosis can be life-changing for a family. Visit the Delivering a Diagnosis section of our website to learn the seven strategies for reframing the “breaking bad” news paradigm. These strategies help providers recognize that their words and conversations will be a part of the family’s story forever.
Yes! Baskets can be requested from the time of diagnosis (prenatal or at birth) up to the baby’s first birthday by healthcare providers, parents, friends, family members, or a Down syndrome organization.
Yes, we have. In 2018, our founder, Carissa Carroll, and members of the Jack’s Basket Medical Team published “When Bad News Isn’t Necessarily Bad: Recognizing Provider Bias When Sharing Unexpected News” in Pediatrics, a publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In 2025, members of the Jack’s Basket Medical Team published “Understanding the experience of receiving a diagnosis of Down syndrome” in Paediatrics & Child Health, a publication of the Canadian Paediatric Society.
In addition to requesting a basket, our prenatal consult films are designed for healthcare providers to share with expectant parents following a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. The videos feature perspectives from both providers and parents of children with Down syndrome that shed light on some of the ‘unknowns’ that families may face when receiving a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis, encourages expectant parents with stories and experiences from other families who are raising a child with Down syndrome, and, most importantly, offers hope for their journey ahead. Three videos are in English, and one is in Spanish.
Our free “Communicating Unexpected News” webinars are designed to help all medical professionals recognize provider bias and the role communication plays in families’ diagnosis experiences. They are worth 1 CEU credit.
Yes, we have resources for medical providers who deliver the diagnosis and physicians or other medical professionals who care for families prenatally, at birth, and as newborns. This includes, but is not limited to, obstetrics and gynecology and maternal fetal medicine physicians, pediatricians, neonatologists, genetic counselors, social workers, nurse practitioners, sonographers, midwives, physician assistants, etc.
Yes, our presentations engage, equip, and empower medical providers with tools to communicate and discuss the diagnosis accurately without bias. From Grand Rounds and staff meetings to academic presentations and student organizations, our “Communicating Unexpected News” live training adds crucial skills to any provider’s toolkit. This includes, but is not limited to, obstetrics and gynecology and maternal fetal medicine physicians, pediatricians, neonatologists, genetic counselors, social workers, nurse practitioners, sonographers, midwives, physician assistants, etc. These trainings are offered in both virtual and in-person formats to best meet the needs of your group.
To learn more about our provider resources, CME opportunities, or live training, please use this link to schedule an informational call with Lauren Talhelm, our Medical Education Coordinator.
Please spread our mission, resources, and continuing education opportunities with your colleagues. The majority of our provider-requested baskets are referred by other providers.
Interested in joining our Medical Team? This group of healthcare professionals creates our provider resources, presents our “Communicating Unexpected News” live training, publishes articles, and more! Email medicaloutreach@jacksbasket.org for more information.