Published in May 21 print edition of the Bellingham Herald 

Medical directives

Many of us are pleased that PeaceHealth Medical Group is rolling out a more robust program to motivate patients, their family members and physicians to address the proven benefits of health advance care planning and advance directives, before illness or accident occurs.

At a recent overflow community-wide event, Dr. Scott Foster, PeaceHealth chief medical executive, energized our community by announcing PeaceHealth’s commitment to encourage patients with decision-making capacity to be proactive in guiding their future health care decisions in the event that they become unable to participate directly in their care.

This involves a comprehensive process that requires that patients accept shared responsibility with their professional care givers. Dr. Foster suggested four things for each of us to do to ensure we get the care we want: (1) have values-based conversations with friends and family; (2) identify decision making surrogate(s) who  will honor our wishes; (3) initiate advance care discussions with health care professionals; (4) complete an advance directive routinely. 

Two experienced intensive care nurses are giving a presentation on June 14 at 6 p.m. at St. Luke’s Health Education Center that is a “conversation starter” to help prepare for completing an advance directive.

An important ethical argument for advance directives (sometimes called living wills) is their appeal to the principle of patient autonomy. Living wills attempt to ensure that patients receive the treatment they want, but perhaps most importantly, the living will promotes patient-centered care.

Don’t wait until it’s too late, talk to your family members, physicians and other members of your health care team – make your wishes known.

– Barbara Aiken, Deming