Care For PA

In 2005, the world became sadly aware of the purpose and importance of living wills through the seven-year legal battle over a brain-damaged Florida woman's right to live or die. Three years after the death of Terri Schiavo, it is estimated that only a small minority of Americans have a living will. Hospitals in Pennsylvania are working to change that.

On April 16, hospitals across the state provided information to the public about living wills and other types of "advance directives," which are simply legal documents that tell your doctor what kind of care you'd like to have if you become unable to make medical decisions.

Hospitals already provide this information to all patients who come through their doors, but on April 16, many did even more. Many will stayed open late, hosted community events, and placed information in area stores and malls with the hope that Pennsylvanians would make their health care wishes known.

Memorial Hospital in York was open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to provide free forms and information on advance directives. "Health care providers at Memorial Hospital see first hand how important it is for patients to document their care preferences. We were pleased to make information available to the community so that many individuals could learn more about advance directives and express their wishes in writing," said Sally Dixon, Memorial Hospital president and CEO.

Though the issues surrounding serious illness and death aren't easy to discuss, it is easier on everyone if you have a living will and other advance directives in place before you're faced with a serious accident or illness. If you don't, you may find yourself in a situation in which you're unable to communicate your wishes regarding the extent of treatment efforts, such as resuscitation and life-support machines.

The April 16 effort was part of National Healthcare Decisions Day, a national collaborative effort of national, state, and community organizations committed to ensuring that all adults with decision-making capacity in the United States have the information and opportunity to communicate and document their health care decisions. For more information, visit www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org.

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