MA Department of Public Health Partners with Honoring Choices MA
We are delighted to partner with MA Department of Public Health to help ensure equal access of health planning tools to all adults 18 years old and older across the Commonwealth. Thank you to Jessica Zeidman, MD Deputy Commissioner and Chief Medical Officer Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH) for the Letter of Support and announcement that MA DPH is partnering with Honoring Choices and Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association to help ensure every adult has access to a a free Honoring Choices multilingual Health Care Proxy and Personal Directive (Living Will). In the Letter of Support send to all health organizations, Dr. Zeidman asked that all “join us in providing this information to all your residents and patients over the age of 18.” Dr. Zeidman points out that having a Health Care Proxy can “prevent delays in care and stress on families that occur when there is no legally designed decisions-maker”, and how choosing a Health Care Agent in a Health Care Proxy “can avoid the need to appoint a Guardian in a legal process that can be lengthy and impacting the timeliness of care.”
Dr. Zeidman mentions the 13th Annual Health Care Decisions Spring Celebration and that all providers have a key role to play in helping adults access a Health Care Proxy. The Letter of Support contains helpful links to the free Honoring Choices tools:
- Download a free Health Care Proxy, available in 17 languages
- Make your own “I Have a Health Care Proxy wallet cared, in 7 languages
- Watch helpful videos;
- How to Choose a Health Care Agent
- How to Compete an Honoring Choices Health Care Proxy
- Download the Who is Your Agent? Consumer Handout, available in 9 languages
- Download a free Personal Directive (Living Will), available in 5 languages
- Especially helpful for adults who are not able to choose a Health Care Agent.
All the tools above can be found on the Honoring Choices 13th Annual Spring Celebration webpage and on the Honoring Choices Quick Start page.
Dr. Zeidman emphasizes that “Every health care professional or member of a care team can help a person complete a Health Care Proxy”. She goes on to say that although no specific training is needed, all professionals can view the free on-line Honoring Choices Health Care Planning Ambassador webinar.
To further integrate these tools into patient communications, The Simple Step Campaign, MA Health and Hospital Association (MHA), helps all care team members start a simple conversation with patients to complete a Health Care Proxy. MHA is a long-standing Honoring Choices MA Partner. We support the Simple Step Campaign with Honoring Choices tools and care professional webinars.