WHEREAS, The "National Healthcare Decisions Day" observance
was founded in 2006 by Nathan Kottkamp under the name of
Virginia Advance Directives Day; and
WHEREAS, Since that time, "National Healthcare Decisions Day"
has evolved into a nationwide advocacy effort effective in
educating health care providers and the general public about the
importance of enabling patients to control the fate of their own
health care; and
WHEREAS, The "National Healthcare Decisions Day" theme for
2017 is "It always seems too early, until it's too late"; and
WHEREAS, For many years, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
maintained an antiquated method to enable its residents to make
health care decisions concerning powers of attorney and other
advance directives; and
WHEREAS, On November 29, 2006, Act 169 of 2006 was enacted,
significantly enhancing the right and ability of individuals to
control the fate of their own health care; and
WHEREAS, Despite this vital legislation, only a fraction of
adults in Pennsylvania have an advance directive in place; and
WHEREAS, Additional outreach and education is necessary to
ensure that the general public is better informed about the
utility of advance directives; and
WHEREAS, Advance directives normalize the concept and
conversation about preparing for possible end-of-life health
care decisions; and
WHEREAS, Individuals and organizations are strongly
encouraged to raise further awareness about "National Healthcare
Decisions Day" by utilizing outreach methods that include
conducting presentations, engaging faith-based communities,
hosting panel discussions and partnering with health care
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