National Healthcare Decisions Day set for April 16

SSM Health, along with other national, state and community organizations, are leading a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decision-making – an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD).

As a participating organization, SSM Health is providing information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends, and healthcare providers, and develop written advance directives (healthcare power of attorney and living will). These resources are available at ssmhealth.com or by calling 920-926-4704.

Specifically, on April 16, SSM Health is welcoming the public at several locations with free information about advance care planning and advance directive forms.

• Fond du Lac Family YMCA: 90 W. 2nd Street, Fond du Lac, 7:30 – 11 am, with Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin & UW Organ and Tissue Donation
• Ripon Senior Center Lunch and Learn: 388 Murray Park Drive, Ripon, 11:30 am – 3 pm, free lunch will be provided (registration requested by calling 920-471-1636)
• St. Agnes Hospital: 430 E. Division Street, Fond du Lac, 9:30 am – 2 pm
• Waupun Community Center, 520 McKinley Street, Waupun, 11 am – 1:30 pm

“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,” according to Deb Toth, SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac advance care planning specialist. “Fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficult healthcare 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, visit http://nhdd.org