April 2020 Newsletter

COVID-19 Update

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we at the Coalition are grateful to those who are working on the front lines. We wanted to share some timely updates.

Webinar Tomorrow: Repurposing National Healthcare Decisions Day

COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) on April 16. Please join “ACP Messaging and Repurposing NHDD During COVID-19: A Call for Community Leaders”. The group call is this Thursday April 9 from 3pm-4pm. It will give you the ideas and communication resources you need to plan alternative NHDD activities. The panel will include Coalition Executive Director Anna Gosline and two leaders from The Conversation Project, Kate DeBartolo and Patty Webster. Click here to register.

New COVID-19 Communication Resources for the public and for clinicians

  • Ariadne Labs’ Serious Illness Care Program COVID-19 Response Toolkit. Ariadne Labs has developed the Serious Illness Care Program’s COVID-19 Response Toolkit to support clinicians as they have difficult conversations with patients at high risk for serious complications of COVID-19. The Toolkit includes an updated conversation guide, telehealth communication tips, and recommendation and care planning resources.

Moving ahead on ahead on emergency measures to aid in remote completion of ACP documents

The limitations created by COVID-19 requires swift action in many areas including advance care planning documents. Ellen DiPaola from Honoring Choices Massachusetts, Dr. Lachlan Forrow, MD, and members of the MA MOLST Advisory Subcommittee and Guardianship-MOLST Advisory Group sent an urgent letter to the state April 1. They are pushing for verbal consent to be allowed on the MOLST form for cases where written consent was not possible. Read their letter to the state here. We’ll share details and example workflows about how to implement the changes when approved. Further requests regarding completion of health care proxy forms and the role of a Guardian are being considered by the committees.

Get Connected

Our Public Engagement and Provider Education Work Groups are connecting every two weeks to talk through issues and resources like the above and explore how we can all support each other during this challenging time. If you would like to participate and join in the discussions, please email Anna Gosline at [email protected].


 

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