Charles, thought you might find this interesting if you haven’t seen it already. It’s a proclamation signed by Sarah Palin which reads:

Healthcare Decisions Day

WHEREAS, Healthcare Decisions Day is designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for healthcare decisions, related to end of life care and medical decision-making whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves and to encourage the specific use of advance directives to communicate these important healthcare decisions. WHEREAS, in Alaska, Alaska Statute 13.52 provides the specifics of the advance directives law and offers a model form for patient use.

WHEREAS, it is estimated that only about 20 percent of people in Alaska have executed an advance directive. Moreover, it is estimated that less than 50 percent of severely or terminally ill patients have an advance directive.

WHEREAS, it is likely that a significant reason for these low percentages is that there is both a lack of knowledge and considerable confusion in the public about Advance Directives.

WHEREAS, one of the principal goals of Healthcare Decisions Day is to encourage hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, and hospices to participate in a statewide effort to provide clear and consistent information to the public about advance directives, as well as to encourage medical professionals and lawyers to volunteer their time and efforts to improve public knowledge and increase the number of Alaska’s citizens with advance directives.

WHEREAS, the Foundation for End of Life Care in Juneau, Alaska, and other organizations throughout the United States have endorsed this event and are committed to educating the public about the importance of discussing healthcare choices and executing advance directives.

WHEREAS, as a result of April 16, 2008, being recognized as Healthcare Decisions Day in Alaska, more citizens will have conversations about their healthcare decisions; more citizens will execute advance directives to make their wishes known; and fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficult healthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sarah Palin, Governor of the state of Alaska, do hereby proclaim April 16, 2008, as:

Healthcare Decisions Day in Alaska, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

If we go to Foundation of End of Life Care we find:

Recent Events:

In 2006, the Foundation brought attorney and author William Colby to Southeast Alaska for two free public lectures. Mr. Colby spoke in Ketchikan at the SE Alaska Discovery Center on Thursday October 19, 2006 and in Juneau on Friday October 20, 2006 at the UAS Egan Library. The title of his talk was, “From Cruzan to Schiavo: What have we learned?” Mr. Colby is the author of two books related to planning for the end of life: “Unplugged; Reclaiming our right to die in America”(2006) and “Long Goodbye: the deaths of Nancy Cruzan” (2002). Additionally, he is a Senior Fellow with the National Hospice and Palliative Organization and a national spokesperson for their “It’s About How You Live” national campaign.

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Other link: foundationforendoflifecare.org