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Albany, NY - End-of-Life Program Becomes Law |
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Albany, NY - Governor David A. Paterson has signed into law a bill that helps to ensure a person's end-of-life wishes are followed whether the person is at home, in a nursing home or in any other non-hospital setting.
The new law makes permanent and statewide a program piloted in Monroe and Onondaga counties called Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (MOLST). Seriously ill patients with advanced chronic illness and frailty, after talking to their doctor, complete the MOLST form about the kind of care they want at the end of their life. The MOLST form is bright pink - so it can be easily identified by paramedics - and contains medical orders signed by their physician that are honored at all sites of care in the community.
Gov. Paterson said, "People should be allowed as much say in their end-of-life care as they would have at any other time. This bill will allow many people who are critically ill to make enduring decisions on the care they will receive. These will be difficult decisions for every person to make, but they should have the freedom to make them."
The MOLST form says whether the patient wants to be resuscitated or intubated and whether they want to be sent to the hospital or take medication, among other wishes. MOLST is based on a national model that has been shown to assure that seriously ill patients' wishes are followed. New York is one of six states with a state-approved program.
"Too often, people don't die in the setting of their choice, don't have advance directives in place, and many fear dying in pain and without dignity or control," said Patricia Bomba, M.D., of Pittsford, vice president and medical director, geriatrics at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.
"Now that MOLST is available statewide, more people will have greater peace of mind knowing that this form will help reduce uncertainty about their treatment preferences, allowing loved ones in decline to write their own final chapter," said Bomba, who spearheaded the MOLST program.
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Read Comments (5) — Post Yours »
1
Jul 09, 2008 at 05:59 PM Anonymous Says:
Is a jew allowed to make those decisions without a posek?
2
Jul 09, 2008 at 06:10 PM Anonymous Says:
How does this differ from the do not rescusitate order?
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Jul 09, 2008 at 07:31 PM BSSP Says:
DNR = DO NOT RESUCITATE does not cover meds or being transported dto a hospital, ect.
4
Jul 09, 2008 at 09:37 PM Anonymous Says:
The best thing to do is to have a health care proxy and a living will (advance directive). Each jew must consult his posek, but I do not believe that a jew is required al pi halacha to request life prolonging measures; but halachic problems come about when the measures are already in place as in the case of Terri Schiavo (who as far as I know was a goyta).
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Jul 10, 2008 at 12:16 AM Anonymous Says:
Why is this different from a living will, health care proxy or a DNR. A living will says exactly what you want and you could write anything on it, including if you want to go to a hospital or not. You could also buy a medical bracelet which an emt would look at, and it would say if you have a dnr. Why do some people always look to pass new bills that are not needed, instead work on the real issues out there.