ADVANCE CARE PLANNING

So many residents of underserved communities continue to be marginalized, with disparities in healthcare growing exponentially, especially as they reach the end of life. Hudson Valley Hospice and the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State (HPCANYS) want to change this narrative. We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves and share why we feel it is vital to explain the importance and  benefits of Advance Care Planning to our community. 

Hudson Valley Hospice has provided compassionate end-of-life care and family support to the residents of Dutchess and Ulster Counties for over 45 years. Caring for over 600 patients in our community each and every day, Hudson Valley Hospice works to fulfill its mission to enhance the quality of living for those at the end-of-life and support their loved ones. HPCANYS works to promote the availability and accessibility of quality hospice and palliative care for all persons in New York State confronted with a life-limiting illness. We believe that quality end-of-life care should be available to all persons regardless of ethnicity, race, religion or financial status, but we recognize that like other states in the nation, there are disparities in end-of-life care in New York. One of the ways we can turn this around is to encourage Advance Care Planning conversations which ensure the delivery of end-of-life care driven by the wishes and desires of the patient and their loved ones, not by health care systems and their bias.

Together, it is our goal to encourage individuals and their caregivers, who may have been ignored or marginalized by hospitals, nursing homes and providers in the past. We want to engage in Advance Care Planning. We want to understand the cultural and spiritual barriers that might prevent the conversations that are necessary to complete advance care documents such as Health Care Proxies. We also want to help facilitate the difficult conversations that can be a part of completing these documents and will provide Hudson Valley Hospice’s Advance Care Planning Workbook to help support the process. For those interested, HPCANYS has created an Advance Care Planning educational program using a train-the-trainer format, training individuals in the community to share information and educate others about the importance of Advance Care Planning, collaborating with Hudson Valley Hospice staff to provide the outreach and long term support of the program. 

In November 2023, with the help of HPCANYS and support from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, we launched Lift Up Your Voice!  The Importance of Making Your Health Care Choices Known. As we continue this work in 2024, we want to partner with you to ensure that these important conversations, which will have an impact for generations to come, happen.

Interested in hosting us for a conversation with your community about the importance of making our healthcare choices known? Call or email Erin Stimson, Office Manager today at (845) 240-7609 or stimsone@hvhospice.org.

JOIN US!

Currently Scheduled Sessions:

APRIL 30

St. Paul’s A.M.E. Zion Church
Tuesday, April 30 @ 6:00 PM
156 Center Street, Ellenville, NY 12428
Reverend Gary Fuller Sr. 

JUNE 5

RAPP Ulster (Cornell Cooperative Extension)
Wednesday, June 5 @ 10:00 AM
232 Plaza Road, Kingston, NY 12401

JUNE 6

LaGrange Association Library
Thursday, June 6 @ 12:00 PM
1110 Route 55, LaGrangeville, NY 12540

* All events feature guest speaker Lisa Wilson, Executive Director of the Hudson Valley Hospice Foundation.

Our program:

• Enjoy a complimentary meal
• Discuss the importance of making your health care choices known
• Learn to:
  • Think about who you want to speak for you if you can’t do so for yourself
  • Talk about your wishes at the end of life
  • Write down who you’ve selected and your wishes
  • Share the written documents with loved ones and medical providers