Contact: Kendi Parvin
Kendi.parvin@wismed.org, 608.442.3748
MADISON — Honoring Choices Wisconsin (HCW), the Wisconsin Medical Society’s advance care planning initiative, is pleased to announce four new participating organizations. Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Mile Bluff Medical Center in Mauston, Aurora Health Care, based in Milwaukee, and Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers in Milwaukee all have signed on to build systems and workflows to offer advance care planning conversations to their patients.
It’s so inspiring to see the commitment to advance care planning grow. Since 2012, we’ve worked to ensure that advance care planning is available to everyone, including rural and underserved populations,” said Society Chief Medical Officer Donn Dexter, MD. “These new participants exemplify that commitment, as advance care planning is quickly becoming the standard of care across Wisconsin.”
Since HCW launched in September 2012, more than 6,000 individuals have engaged in conversations about their future medical decisions, including end-of-life preferences, with trained advance care planning facilitators. These conversations help individuals clarify their goals and values, appoint a health care agent, weigh options about the kind of care and treatment they would want or not want, and communicate those wishes to family, friends, clergy, health care providers and others.
Through HCW, the Society serves as a convener, coordinator and catalyst to promote person-centered shared decision-making that transforms health care based on the proven approach of Respecting Choices®. The four new groups join HCW’s 27 existing participating organizations, aiming to make advance care planning a routine and standard part of care.
With more than 12,500 members dedicated to the best interests of their patients, the Wisconsin Medical Society is the largest association of medical doctors in the state and has been a trusted source for health policy leadership since 1841. For more information about Honoring Choices Wisconsin, visit www.honoringchoiceswi.org.
