National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) is today and it “exists to inspire, educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.” NHDD is a perfect time to share the value of POLST in advance care planning and we are pleased to see that a number of POLST Programs are doing just that.
- California’s POLST Program is celebrating both NHDD and California’s Healthcare Decisions Day, which was recently created by Senate Resolution 17.
- Colorado’s MOST Program will be releasing a new version of its MOST Form!
- Connecticut will be hosting a MOLST Pilot Kickoff event!
- Florida’s POLST Program will be co-sponsoring a showing and discussion of the Frontline documentary Being Mortal.
- Louisiana’s LaPOST will be hosting an NHDD-themed twitter chat Thursday at 12 pm CST. Follow @LouisianaPOLST and #NHDDchat to participate in the conversation about advance care planning and LaPOST. The featured guest will be LaPOST Coalition Chair Susan Nelson, MD! Dr. Nelson has also filmed a special video message for NHDD.
- Compassion and Support, which administers New York’s MOLST Program, hasNHDD resources and events listed on its website. Take a minute to see what they have!
- The West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care, which administers West Virginia’s POST Program, has sent out a special e-newsletter encouraging West Virginians to have the conversation, assign a medical decision-maker, and complete an advance directive.
And if you’re still looking for a way to celebrate NHDD, try looking at NHDD’s resources page to see the organizations and tools they have highlighted; consider sharing the Institute of Medicine’s PSA It’s Time to Have the Conversation; and, if you’re on Twitter, be sure to tweet with #POLST, #NHDD, and @NationalPOLST!
Deciding on your healthcare is highly important, you want to find the right plan for you and your family/partner. There are many out there to choose from but research is always key in these circumstances, you need to feel assured by your decision. What you must also take into account is where you want to receive your healthcare. Going onto sites such as https://southwestcare.org/ can show you what is out there for you to potentially go for. It will differ from state to state, but as long as you have a clear plan in mind and know what you want out of your medical care, you’ll find one that can help you.