Grand View Hospital to Participate in National Healthcare Decisions Day
Hospital staff will be available to provide education and answer questions

(Published April 2, 2008) – Grand View Hospital, in conjunction with the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP), will participate in the inaugural National Healthcare Decisions Day on Wednesday, April 16, 2008.

The effort is being led by the American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, American Bar Association, and National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

Throughout the day, information on advance directives will be available in the hospital’s main lobby.  The primary goal of this campaign is to raise awareness about advance directives.  Some of the reasons there is confusion in the public about advance directives include:

• People do not know what advance directives are and what they can do (incorrectly thinking they are only documents used to decline treatment)
• People want to execute advance directives, but do not know how or think it is expensive and/or difficult (incorrectly thinking they need a lawyer and a notary)
• People are afraid to talk about health care planning when they are healthy (assuming severe illness or a catastrophic injury will never happen to them)

Nancy Runta, RN, MSN, risk manager at Grand View Hospital, will also be doing two presentations on Living Wills – April 15 at the Upper Perkiomen Life Long Learning Program and May 7 at the Indian Valley Public Library.

For more information about advance directives, or National Healthcare Decisions Day, call 215-453-4487.