Welcome!  This evening will feature conversation and dialogue about PeaceHealth’s current policies, procedures and practices related to serious illness and end-of-life care. We look forward learning about what is most important to our community as our panel helps us explore our questions and concerns.

Many of us have heard stories (some good and some troubling) about how and when PeaceHealth can or cannot (or will or will not) support our end-of-life choices. For example, perhaps you wonder:

“Will my Advance Care Directive Choices be honored if I am taken to the hospital for a medical emergency?   OR… If I am in the hospital or in Hospice and I choose Death with Dignity how will PeaceHealth help me reach physicians who will prescribe?”    OR... “If I am in hospital or Hospice may I choose VSED? 

To help us explore these questions, and others you may have, we welcome:

Gurpreet Dhillon, Director of Palliative, Cancer and Hospice Care at PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center;

Jodi Newcomer, Nurse Manager of Whatcom Hospice;

Ross Fewing, Director of Mission & Ethics at PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center;

Sally McLaughlin, Executive Director, End of Life Washington;

Marie Eaton, Director, Palliative Care Institute – Moderator

For your future reference, here’s the link to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center policies regarding the following topics: Advance Directives, Do Not Resuscitate / Allow Natural Death, Definition of Death, Euthanasia, Medically Non-Beneficial Treatment, Physician Assisted Suicide – Governance, Physician Assisted Suicide – Hospital Inpatient, Physician Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST), Withholding and Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatment

https://www.peacehealth.org/st-joseph/Pages/Washington-state-policies

This event is co-sponsored by the Death Café of Whatcom County, the Palliative Care Institute, PeaceHealth’s Palliative Care team and End of Life Washington.