R 169 |
2019 -- S 0641 Enacted 03/26/2019 |
S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
PROCLAIMING APRIL 16, 2019, TO THE "HEALTHCARE DECISIONS DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
Introduced By: Senator Michael J. McCaffrey |
Date Introduced: March 21, 2019 |
WHEREAS, Healthcare Decisions Day, observed on April 16, 2019, is a national |
initiative to inspire, educate and empower the public about the importance of advance care |
planning. It is a collaborative effort of national, state, and community organizations intended to |
encourage adults of all ages to plan ahead of a health crisis; and |
WHEREAS, The Improving Care Coalition, a project of the Rhode Island State Nurses |
Association, is the Rhode Island state liaison for National Healthcare Decisions Day at the |
Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s The Conversation Project, Cambridge, MA; and |
WHEREAS, Healthcare Decisions Day will help Rhode Islanders understand that making |
future healthcare decisions includes much more than deciding what care they would or would not |
want; it starts with expressing preferences, clarifying values, identifying care preferences and |
selecting an agent to express healthcare decisions if patients are unable to speak for themselves; |
and |
WHEREAS, Making healthcare decisions ahead of time and putting one's wishes in |
writing brings peace of mind to families. It helps to avoid the difficult situations that are so |
common when a person becomes seriously ill and the family is left to guess what their loved one |
would have wanted; and |
WHEREAS, An advance directive document speaks for an individual's healthcare |
decisions if they cannot speak for themselves. Everyone needs an advocate; and |
WHEREAS, The goal of Healthcare Decision Day is to encourage Rhode Islanders to |
start the conversation about advance directives with their family rather than delaying that |
discussion; and |
WHEREAS, Healthcare Decision Day educates and empowers the public and healthcare |
providers to take part in important advance care planning and encourages patients to discuss the |
topic with their health care providers; and |
WHEREAS, Healthcare Decision Day is an event that provides the opportunity to |
advocate for a good life that honors a person’s healthcare wishes; now, therefore be it |
RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
hereby proclaims April 16, 2019, to be "Health Care Decision Day" in the State of Rhode Island. |
We moreover urge and encourage all the citizens of the state to learn about advance care planning |
for themselves and their loved ones; and be it further |
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, Rhode Island |
Department of Health, and The Improving Care Coalition, a project of the Rhode Island State |
Nurses Association. |
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LC001522 |
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