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National Healthcare Decisions Day set for April 16 at BCH
Hot Springs - Bath Community Hospital along with other national, state and community organizations, are leading a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decisionmaking- an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16, 2008 as National Healthcare Decisions Day. As a participating organization, Bath Community Hospital is providing information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers, and execute written advance directives (healthcare power of attorney and living will) in accordance with Virginia state laws. These resources are available at Bath Community Hospital Social Services Department.
Specifically,April 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Bath Community Hospital is welcoming the public throughout the day at the hospital lobby with free information about advance care planning and advance directive forms. Local attorneys, Betty Cauley and Peter Judah, will be providing educational seminars on the importance of Healthcare Decisions. Ms. Cauley will be speaking at 11:00am and Mr. Judah will be speaking at 4:00pm.
"As a result of National Healthcare Decisions Day, many more people in our community can be expected to have thoughtful conversations about their healthcare decisions and complete reliable advance directives to make their wishes known," said Lorri Batten, social worker at Bath Community Hospital. "Fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficulthealthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient, and healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address advance healthcare planning issues before a crisis and be better able to honor patient wishes when the time comes to do so."
For more information about National Healthcare Decision Day, call Lorri Batten at 540-893-7000 or visit www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday. org.
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