POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment)

In summer 2009, CHCD began a two-year collaborative project to help ensure that a new POLST process for clarifying seriously ill patients' treatment decisions becomes recognized and commonly used throughout the region. The POLST form complements an advance directive by turning a patient's wishes into actionable medical orders.

Sacramento Area POLST Coalition

This project is being directed by a multi-disciplinary, multi-organizational group of physician leaders and representatives from emergency medical services, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and other healthcare organizations. Current members include:

• CONVENER - Kathy Glasmire, Center for Healthcare Decisions
• Parag Agnihotri, MD, Mercy Medical Group
• MJ Bergstrand, RN, Mercy San Juan Hospital
• Lhia Casazza, MSW, Marshall Medical Center
• Karen Crain, RN, Sierra Sacramento Valley EMS
• Chris Evans, RN, MSN, Mercy Sacramento/Catholic Healthcare West
• Kathy Edwards, MSN, Kaiser Permanente North Valley
• Michael GuntherMaher, MD, Kaiser Permanente North Valley
• Jay Henderson, VITAS Hospice
• Judy Fong Heary, Asian Community Center
• Jeanne Hinds, RN, CHPN, Marshall Medical Center
• James McGregor, MD, Sutter VNA & Hospice
• Catherine McGregor, MSN, RN, FNS-C, CCCC/PREPARED Project
• David Naliboff, MD, Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento
• Nancy Neil, SW, Sutter Oaks Midtown
• Janice Noort, NP, UC Davis Medical Center
• Cindy Rice, RN, Partners in Care, Placerville
• Mark Robinson, MSW, UC Davis Center for Healthy Aging
• David Swetman, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital
• Teri Tift, MSN, DHA, RN-C, Eskaton
• Jan Van der Mei, RN, Sutter Health
• Bruce Wagner, Sacramento County EMS Agency

Project activities

Beginning the Conversation Workshops

This daylong program for physicians, nurses, social workers and chaplains focuses on enhancing skills to help seriously ill patients understand and document their treatment choices.

Next course: November 17, 2010
Contact CHCD to receive a registration flyer when available.

Jan 2010 Workshop Attendees
Sister Anne McCrohan, Chaplain, Mercy San Juan Medical Center and
Chaplain David Swetman, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital

Statewide work

CHCD assists the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California in its promotion of POLST throughout the state by:

• Summer 2010 - writing an issue brief on a regional collaborative effort to improve advance care planning and end-of-life care in Sacramento area nursing homesnursing homes.
• Winter 2009 - produced a white paper highlighting the work of eight community POLST coalitions.
• Spring 2009 - presented the white paper at CCCC's 2009 annual conference.