Haven Hospice Challenges North FL: "I challenge all of you to appoint a health care surrogate."
Posted April 3, 2013 08:25 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Columbia County's County Commission heard
from Haven Hospice's Administrator Polly Tyler last
night where she delivered a very important message to
the County and all of North Florida. She told the
Commission, "I challenge all of you to appoint a health
care surrogate." Ms. Tyler announced that April 16 is
National
Healthcare Decisions Day. Haven Hospice has
facilities in 18 Florida counties and cares for 700 to
800 patients at a time and is available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.
Ms. Tyler announced that Haven Hospice will be in the mall on April 16th and encouraged folks to pick up a "five wishes" document.
Links:
•
Haven Hospice
•
Designation of Health Care
Surrogate
•
Health Care Advance Directives
•
Health Care Proxy/Living Will
Ms Tyler explained that the five wishes are the wishes that "most people desire to have their surrogate know about them."
Haven Hospice has been serving North Florida since 1979 and licensed as a not-for-profit hospice since 1980.
Haven Hospice has cared for more than 45,000 patients and families since it began.
Ms. Tyler told the Observer, "We cover18 counties and more than 13,000 square miles."
Haven Hospice pioneered freestanding hospice care centers throughout the North Florida region.
Haven’s patient care teams are specially trained in managing symptoms, controlling pain, and caring for the psychological, social, emotional and spiritual needs of individuals and their loved ones. Each team works with the individual, family and the patient’s primary physician to establish the plan of care.
The Observer asked Ms. Tyler, "Who makes decisions if one doesn't have a health care proxy and a health care surrogate?"
Ms. Tyler said, "It would be your spouse, children, and it is governed by the law of proxy. We prefer to have the patient make the choice."
Ms. Tyler continued, "It is unfortunate that over 50% of people don't have advanced health care directives."
Ms. Tyler said, "I encourage everyone to do their end of life care discussion with their surrogates, to choose their surrogates and to get the documents which are free from Haven Hospice."
