National Healthcare Decisions Day in All 50 States, DC, Puerto Rico, and Internationally

National Healthcare Decisions Day in All 50 States, DC, Puerto Rico, and
Internationally

U.S. Senate, Several Governors and Mayors Support Event

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- April 16, 2008, the
inaugural National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD), will be the largest effort
ever undertaken to educate the public and professionals about advance
healthcare planning.

"With healthcare, 'your decisions matter;' however, others need to know your
wishes to honor them," said Nathan A. Kottkamp, Chair, National Healthcare
Decisions Day. "All Americans should use April 16, 2008, to decide, discuss,
and document their wishes, whatever they may be. Indeed, the primary goal of
NHDD is to have more Americans execute advance directives, so that fewer
families and health care providers will have to struggle with making difficult
health care decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient."

NHDD events are taking place in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and
internationally at U.S. Army and Navy bases. Furthermore, over 70 of the
nation's most prominent healthcare, legal, legal, consumer, and other
organizations are participating. A complete list of participants, including
hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, physicians, nurses, chaplains, social
workers, attorneys, financial planners, organ donation organizations,
universities, minority professional organizations, and others, may be found
at: www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org/participants

At the community level, over 350 organizations are known to be hosting events
and providing free information to the public and their own professional staffs
about advance care planning, particularly advance directives, which involve
appointing a healthcare agent and/or completing a living will.

On April 3, the United States Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 73 in
support of National Healthcare Decisions Day. A similar resolution, House
Concurrent Resolution 323, is pending in the United States House of
Representatives. Additionally, at least six states (Connecticut, Mississippi,
Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin) have Governor's resolutions
and several cities and towns have Mayoral resolutions in support of NHDD.

The website for this event, www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org, contains
free resources on advance directives for the public and providers, outreach
tools, a listing of national, state and community participants, and other
information about advance care planning. Information is also available via
email nhdd@nhpco.org, or by calling 800/658-8898.

Editor's Note: The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization is
providing administrative and communications support for the NHDD initiative.

SOURCE National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

Nathan A. Kottkamp, Esq., McGuireWoods, Chair, National Healthcare Decisions
Day, +1-804-775-1092 or nkottkamp@mcguirewoods.com