The Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio coordinates a convening group for the Advance Care Planning Coalition, which helps make area residents aware that they have a voice in end-of-life healthcare decisions and helps them create advance care documents.
The State of Ohio’s advance directive packet includes the Health Care Power of Attorney, which names a healthcare agent to make treatment and medical decisions on behalf of someone unable to, and the Living Will, a set of instructions that goes into effect for someone unable to make decisions for themselves. Please click here for an online application, which will walk through completing the documents on MyACP powered by WiserCare.
Are you ready to establish advance directives? Certified advance care planning facilitators can help:
• Consider your healthcare-related wishes, values and goals.
• Share your future healthcare priorities with loved ones.
• Select a health care agent who can make important healthcare decisions for you if you are unable to speak for yourself.
• Ensure that your agent understands and will honor your wishes.
• Document your healthcare wishes through both the State of Ohio Health Care Power of Attorney and Living Will.
To schedule an advance care planning conversation, please contact acp@hcno.org
The coalition utilizes the person-centered Respecting Choices® advance care planning curriculum, an evidence-based program developed by C-TAC Innovations. The model ensures that:
- Advance care planning decisions are accurately reflected in written care plans that are available to the health professionals providing treatment in all settings of care.
- Care plans are reviewed and updated over time to make sure they stay current.
- Community engagement is designed to promote the value and need for advance care planning.
Research shows that the Respecting Choices® model improves patient outcomes through increased consistency and standardization of advance care planning across all care settings; increased congruence in patient and surrogate decisions; increased prevalence of advance care planning in racially, ethnically and culturally diverse communities; and other ways. Additionally, the model helps reduce stress, anxiety and depression among surviving family members.
The State of Ohio’s advance directive packet includes the Health Care Power of Attorney, which names a healthcare agent to make treatment and medical decisions on behalf of someone unable to, and the Living Will, a set of instructions that goes into effect for someone unable to make decisions for themselves.
Members of the Advance Care Planning Coalition’s convening group include:
Blanchard Valley Health System
Fulton County Health Center
Henry County Hospital
Hospice of Northwest Ohio
Mercy Health
ProMedica
The Bellevue Hospital
University of Toledo Medical Center
Wood County Hospital
For information about joining the convening group, please contact Barbara Gunning, PhD, at acp@hcno.org
