Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest: Washington physicians and hospitals working together to ensure people’s choices are honored at end of life
Wishes honored. Peace of mind. Family harmony. Quality care. These are the hallmarks of Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest.
Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest is an effort co-sponsored by the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) and Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) with a vision for everyone in the state to receive care that honors personal values and goals near the end of life.
As patients become more active in making health care choices over the course of their lives, it’s important that providers be better partners in that planning throughout a patient’s life and are comfortable starting – and having – those conversations. By teaching physicians and other caregivers to initiate these conversations, we can better support our patients’ decisions.
This is why WSHA and WSMA have gathered together professionals from organizations across the state to work on a strategic plan – and website – for promoting advance care planning through increasing awareness, knowledge and resources.
www.HonoringChoicesPNW.org is designed to help people create end-of-life care plans and guide them through sharing those plans with loved ones and health care providers. The resources and tools on the website are free and available to anyone.
Health care professionals can also find valuable resources on the site and participate in trainings to prepare them for conversations around end-of-life care, recording patient wishes and ultimately honoring those choices.
The website includes:
- Information about and resources to start the conversation about end-of-life care, including a conversation starter kit that can be downloaded
- Personal stories to help people understand the importance of making end-of-life care plans
- An email tool to invite family and friends to join them in the process
- A know-your-options section, which includes a glossary of terms and frequently asked questions related to end-of-life care
- Press release about the launch of Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest
- Link to a KPLU Radio (88.5 FM, NPR) story on Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest
- A stay-connected option that allows people to sign up to receive the Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest e-newsletter
- And links to the Facebook and Twitter pages for Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest
