Health Care Planning Ambassador Certificate

Adults Participate in Health Care Planning Ambassador Program

Health Care Planning Ambassadors  use the Honoring Choices MA Getting Started Tool Kit to start powerful care planning discussions and help adults make a personal health care plan,  anywhere adults live, work & gather! 

Health care & community professionals, faith and lay leaders, nursing students, and community volunteers participate in a 60 minute educational training webinar to become certified as a Honoring Choices Health Care Planning Ambassador.

The webinar enhances knowledge and communication skills to confidently help adults complete a Health Care Proxy and Personal Directive (Living Will), and empower adults to talk with their care providers to match care to theri goals, values and care choices.  Ambassadors who work in health care & community organizations are able to connect adults to needed care. Honoring Choices' provides Ambassador training,  tool kits and translated documents to help adults and families within their own language, race, culture and ability.

Our 1000+ Ambassadors to date are also providing vital feedback on the barriers and challenges consumers face that impact their access to  health care. Together we are working to minimize those barriers to ensure every adult in the Commonwealth can direct their health care choices and access timely, equitable, high quality care.

How do I become an Ambassador?

Any organization or group can schedule an Health Care Planning Ambassador webinar for their staff and care team members.  Here's the webinar details:

 Group Webinar: “Become a Health Care Planning Ambassador to Help Adults Make a Plan”

Educate your staff and colleagues as certified Health Care Planning Ambassadors to confidently  and routinely start a planning conversation to help adults make a plan. Come join the 750 Ambassadors who use the Getting Started Tool Kit  and Next Steps Tool Kit to engage adults in powerful planning conversations  with every patient/client/consumer to complete a MA Heath Care Proxy and Personal Directive (Living Will), and build on their personal plan to get better care to live well with chronic and serious illness. This webinar provides our signature “Who’s Your Agent?” Program and two easy to use tool kits and discussion guides.  Ambassadors gain strategies to start simple conversations, understand the 5 MA documents to revise/update a plan, and access resources to help connect adults to better care in their community.

Participants receive a HCM Health Care Planning Ambassador Certificate and join the Ambassador Network.

Time: 60-90 Minute Interactive Q/A Webinar, deping on group size.

To Schedule a Webinar: You gather your group and we'll try to accommodate your regular staff meeting or best times. We provide flyers, slide deck and electronic Getting Started and Next Steps Tool Kits Contact Ellen, edipaola@honoringchoicesmass.com

Multi-lingual presentations for culturally competent conversations and use of translated Health Care Proxy (10 languages) and Personal Directive (5 languages) are available.

Cost: Honorarium is requested and greatly appreciated.

1000 Ambassadors and growing! 

Our  popular Ambassdor training easily folds into your organization mission and programs.  Meet some of the Ambassadors working as "in-house" experts to bring health care planning information to consumers and families.  Here are what the Ambassadors are saying-

Ambassador

Photo of Althea Michel, MSN, RN"It’s important to prepare nursing students as Ambassadors to confidently start care planning conversations and discuss individual goals and care choices." 

Althea Michel, MSN, RN, Assistant Professor of Nursing, AIC, Springfield

Ambassador

Photo of Elida Baez, SWH"Starting culturally sensitive conversations and using the Honoring Choices translated documents helps everyone access better care and stay healthy in their community."

Elida Baez, Senior Whole Health, Cambridge

Ambassador

Photo of Mary Curlew, LICSW"As a clinical social worker, being an Ambassador is a natural extension of my work with older adults as it gives them more than documents, but a means to be active in their care."

Mary Curlew, LICSW, Jewish Family & Children’s Service, Waltham

Ambassador

Jack, Health Care Ambassador"Everyone gets sick or injured- even at my age. It's important to have an advocate — a Health Care Agent — to help you get the care you want. I tell my friends, family and my fellow nurses, it's easy to do with the Honoring Choices documents."

Jack, Emergency Dept. & ICU Nurse, Boston

Become an Heath Care Planning Ambassador. Here's how it works:

SPOTLIGHT: New Ambassador Programs!

New Ambassadors join the Ambassador Network Statewide!

Photo Montage of diverse set of people in many roles

Thank you to the Honoring Choices Partners and Regional Champions for hosting Health Care Planning Ambassador Workshops in 7 regions of the state. The Ambassador Workshops enhance the knowledge and skills of care providers, community professionals, nursing and medical students, housing specialists, and faith based and lay leaders to engage adults in care planning discussions and complete a Health Care Proxy and Personal Directive (Living Will).

Here's are just some of our newest Ambassadors:

North Shore

• Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care Ambassador Workshop, for all area care providers

• Greater Lynn Senior Services Ambassador Workshop, for Home Care & Senior Care Options Staff

• Care Dimensions

• Beverly Council on Aging

Metro west- Boston

•Harvard- Pilgrim Health Plan, Care Managment staff

•Belmont Council on Aging

•Watertown Council on Aging

• Elder Community Collaborative Ambassador Workshop

• Clarendon Hill Towers

• Age- Dementia Friendly Framingham Coalition Members

•Minuteman Senior Services, ASAP staff

South Shore

• South Shore Hospital, Care Managment

• Melrose Wakefield Healthcare, hsoptial nad community professionals

• Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care

• Village at Proprietors Green, Independant and Assited Living

Worcester & Central MA

• UMass Medical School, for Graduate Nursing Students and Medical Students

• Worcester Senior Center. mulit-lingual staff and volunteers

Springfield & Western MA

• Baystate Health and the Western MA Transitions in Care Cross Continuum (TICCC) Workshop, for all multi-disciplinary care providers.

• Berkshire AHEC

• Berkshire Health Scholars, Berkshire Community Collège, Nursing and PT Students

Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard

• Cape Cod Hospital staff and Community Task Force

• Martha's Vineyard Health Care

Everyone is welcome.  To schedule a webinar, contact Ellen, edipaola@honoringchoicesmass.com

Worcester adults engage in culturally and linguistically sensitive conversations to complete a Health Care Proxy & Personal Directive

The Worcester Senior Center, an Honoring Choices Community Partner, recognizes the rich diversity in the elder population of Worcester. African American, Albanian, Bhutanese, Chinese, Latino and Vietnamese Elder Groups meet regularly to share cultures and participate in events.  The Senior Center is hosting a free “What’s In Your Plan?” workshop series for their multicultural members.  The Black/African American group can fill out a Health Care Proxy and Personal Directive using the English version. With the assistance of an interpreter, the Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, Albanian and Latino community groups can fill out an Honoring Choices Health Care Proxy in their native language using our free translated documents, and ask questions to better understand the document and make informed choices.  Group members using the translated documents then transfer the information to a Health Care Proxy in English.  Here is the series of workshops below. For more information, please phone the Worcester Senior Center at 508-799-1232.

  • Arabic Community:  October 9, 2018 – 10:30-11:30 am
  • Vietnamese Community: November 29, 2018 – 10:30-11:30 am
  • Chinese Community:  November 30, 2018 – 10:00-11:30 am
  • Albanian Community:  February 12th,2019 10:00-11:00am
  • Latino Community:  December 10:00-11:00am
  • African American Community: TBD

Photo of the three ambassadorsAmbassadors Helping  Residents Make a Plan

Ambassadors Lynne Booth, Wesmyne Faustin, Yetsenaira "Jessie" Alvira (picture here, left to right)  attended the Metrowest-Boston Ambassadors Workshop to bring the program to the residents at Clarendon Hill Towers, Somerville. They discoverer that many of the residents did not have information about a Health Care Proxy & Personal Directive. Some of their seniors residents do not have family members, and had not talked to anyone about what was important to them and their choices for care. Armed with the  training and tools, the 3 Ambassadors are hosting multiple "Pizza & Proxy Parties" for adults & families in May. They are excited to get started, and Ms. Booth put it well saying... "we can't wait to make a difference".

Photo of Health Care AmbassadorsSouth Shore  Assisted Living Partners Gather to become Ambassadors

Care providers from all over the South Shore who help senior community, came together for lively discussion and train-the-trainer workshop to bring the Ambassador Program to their local organizations. Many of those in attendance become Ambassadors themselves!  A great day- thank you to Colleen Ferguson, Executive Director, Village at Proprietors Green, Lynda Chuckran, Welsh Senior Living, and Carol Corio,Old Colony Palliative Care & Hospice for their continued commitment to our shared mission of helping seniors and their families live their best lives.