Onvida Health brought together families and community members at Gateway Park on Nov. 1 for the 16th Annual Walk to Remember, an annual observance intended to honor infants lost to miscarriage, stillbirth or shortly after birth. The walk provided a visible, communal moment of remembrance and an opportunity for attendees to seek connection with local support networks, organizers said.

Now in its 16th year, the Walk to Remember has become a recurring occasion for Yuma County residents to acknowledge grief that is often private and isolating. Organizers described the event as a space where families can grieve together and link with support resources in the community. For many participants, the gathering offered both ritual and recognition — public validation of personal loss that can be difficult to discuss in ordinary settings.

The public-health implications of perinatal loss extend beyond individual grief. Bereavement after miscarriage or stillbirth is associated with increased risk for depression, anxiety and complicated grief, and community-based events like the Walk to Remember serve as one component of a broader support system. In Yuma County, where residents face a mix of rural and border-community barriers to care, community-led efforts can help bridge gaps in access to culturally competent mental health counseling and perinatal bereavement services.

Local support networks, promoted at the event, can include peer-support groups, faith communities, social-service providers and health clinics. By bringing these resources into a public forum, organizers aim to reduce stigma, encourage help-seeking and strengthen informal networks that often provide immediate emotional relief. The walk also reminds health providers and policymakers that bereaved families require continuity of care, referrals for mental health services and, in some cases, financial or logistical support for follow-up services.

While the Walk to Remember is primarily an act of collective remembrance, its regular presence in Yuma's calendar underscores systemic concerns. Persistent shortages of perinatal mental health specialists, transportation and insurance barriers, and language or cultural hurdles can limit families' access to ongoing care after a loss. Community events can mitigate isolation, but they are not a substitute for sustained investments in health-care infrastructure and targeted policies that expand bereavement and counseling services across the county.

As families and neighbors move through grief together, the Walk to Remember prompts a broader conversation about how local health systems can better meet emotional and clinical needs following pregnancy loss. For Yuma County residents, the annual event is both a ritual of memory and a civic reminder: supporting bereaved families requires community compassion and policy commitments to ensure equitable access to care.