Life-Terminating Choices:
A Framework for Nursing Decision-Making

Prepared by The Task Force on Resolution #9

Resources

American Geriatrics Society
770 Lexington Avenue - Suite 300
New York City 10021
212-308-1414 (fax: 212-832-8646)

The AGS maintains that the call for assisted suicide would be irrelevant if people in the U.S. could count on care that is reliable, continuous, comprehensive, and effective as we face dying. To this end, they have drawn up Ten Principles for Measuring Quality of Care at the End of Life. The Principles, endorsed by more than 40 organizations, were introduced at a January 1997 press conference. Information packets are available.

Center for Healthcare Ethics
St. Joseph Health System
PO Box 14132
Orange, CA 92613-1532
714-997-7690

This is a membership organization that publishes a quarterly newsletter, Ethical Currents, to examine issues in acute care, long term care, home care, and hospice. Each issue includes articles, study guides, and other information. The newsletter is especially pertinent to members of ethics committees, but useful to all health professionals with concerns about the ethics of our practice. Back issues available.

Choice in Dying
200 Varick Street
New York City 10006-4810
212- 366-5540 or 800-989-9455
cid@choices.org

This organization has worked on end-of-life issues for many years. Their legal explorations and legislative work have cleared many legal obstacles that stood in the way of quality end-of-life care. CID produces state-specific advance directives -- "living wills" and health care proxy information that fit the laws of each state -- as well as other materials and services related to end-of-life care.

Hospice Association of America
228 Seventh Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
202-546-4759

The HAA, an affiliate of the National Association for Home Care, has available educational materials about hospice. For their free brochure, Information about Hospice: A Consumer’s Guide, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the address above. HAA is also in the process of developing information and action packets on hospice as an alternative for those who see assisted suicide as their only choice once traditional medical care is no longer helpful.

Hospice Nurses Association
211 North Whitfield Street
Medical Center East, Suite 375
Pittsburgh, PA 15206-3031
412-361-2470
hnafan@usa.pipeline.com

The HNA is an international professional association whose mission is to promote excellence in hospice nursing. They have developed standards for hospice nursing practice and initiated hospice nurse certification. They publish a quarterly newsletter as well as self-study materials.

Last Acts Coalition

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Route 1 and College Road East
PO Box 2316
Princeton, NJ 08543
609-452-8701
www.lastacts.org

This communications project grew out of the RWJ SUPPORT study, which addressed up serious problems in end-of-life medical care. In addition to compiling a resource directory, they have underwritten a PBS Fred Friendly seminar, Before I Die: Medical Care and Personal Choices.

National Council of Hospice Professionals of the National Hospice Organization
Cindy Yocum, RN, CRNH, Nurse Section leader
c/o Valley Hospice Inc.
1 Ross Park, Steubenville
Ohio 43952
614-283-7487

The nursing section is compiling Hospice 101 Curriculum Guidelines, a guide for incorporating palliative care into nursing program curricula. These nurses plan eventually to develop a detailed textbook to parallel the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine.

New York State Task Force on Life and the Law

The Task Force originated in 1985, and includes 22 members from various fields -- attorneys, physicians, nurses, and representatives of religious and civic organizations. It is apparently the only standing government commission in the U.S. that regularly considers and reports on ethical issues. The group has been involved in devising legislation on DNR orders, health care proxies, and surrogate decision-making for incapacitated patients.

Nursing Ethics Network

c/o Sara Fry
fax: 617-552-0913

frys@hermes.bc.edu

This is a northeast regional network of nurses committed to the advancement of nursing ethics in clinical practice through research, education, and consultation. Those who don’t live in the northeast may want to contact the group to learn about setting up their own regional network.

Web Sites

In addition to the web sites mentioned above, search engines can point to many informative web sites. Use assisted suicide or euthanasia (etc.) as key words.

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