National Healthcare Decisions Day: April 16

Do You Have an Advance Directive?

National Healthcare Decisions Day, on Thursday, April 16, exists to inspire, educate and empower the public and health care providers about the importance of advance care planning.

Methodist Health System is proud to participate in National Healthcare Decisions Day with free events at Methodist HealthWest and Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital on April 16.

Our goal is to encourage members of the greater Omaha - Council Bluffs community to complete advance directives while they are in good health, before they are ill or hospitalized. In this way, health care providers and facilities will be better equipped to address advance health care planning issues before a crisis and be better able to honor patients' wishes when the time comes to do so. 

Fewer than 50% of severely or terminally ill patients have an advance directive in their medical records.

An Advance Directive is a written statement in which you state your choices for health care, or name someone to make such choices for you, if you become unable to make your own decisions about medical treatment. The two most common forms are a Living Will and Medical Power of Attorney for Healthcare.
 

Public Invited to Methodist HealthWest on April 16

Methodist Home Health and Hospice is hosting a free event with information about advance care planning and advance directive forms in the lobby of Methodist HealthWest, 16120 W. Dodge Road, on Thursday, April 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Methodist experts, including social workers, Home Health and Hospice staff and chaplains will be on-site to assist with completion of Living Wills and Medical Powers of Attorney and answer any questions. The process does not take long, and it is free. For more information, call (402) 354-4016.
 

Public Invited to Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital on April 16

Free information and assistance related to advance directives will be available to the public at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital, in the Family Resource Center, on April 16, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Experts will be on-site to assist with completion of advance directive paperwork and answer any questions. For more information, call (712) 396-4200.