National Healthcare Decisions Day

April 16, 2021

If a close friend, or family member was suddenly in a coma, who would make the decisions about their care?

What if family members had different ideas about their loved one’s care, say, whether to remain in the ICU, be cared for in a nursing home, or return home?

Would it be OK to administer an experimental drug?

If no one was sure what the patient would want, what would you do? What could you do?

National Healthcare Decisions Day provides an opportunity to have some frank discussions with those who matter most to you. The resources below will prompt you to consider the care you’d want when it comes to care in life-threatening situations.

Making these decisions now greatly simplifies these situations for you, for your family members, and for the treating physicians. Your decisions are documented in an Advance Care Plan, (also known as Advance Care Directive), which is attached to your health record. You can change your mind, and edit the document, at any time.

We encourage you to create an advanced care plan, regardless of age, health status, or priorities of care. It’s important to talk about the care you would or would not want with those who matter most to you.

Any adult can, and are encouraged to create an advanced care plan, regardless of age, health status, or priorities of care. It’s important to talk about the care you would or would not want with those who matter most to you.
Learn More about Advanced Care Planning or download an Advanced Care Directive Form free of charge at

Providence Institute of Human Caring

We hope that as a result of National Healthcare Decisions Day, more people in our community will have thoughtful conversations about their healthcare decisions and complete advance directives to make their wishes known.