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WHEREAS, Healthcare Decisions Day is designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for important health care decisions related to end of life care and medical decision-making for patients who are unable to speak for themselves, and to encourage the increased use of advance directives to communicate these important health care decisions; and,
WHEREAS, it is estimated that only about 20 percent of people in Pennsylvania have executed an advance directive, with additional estimates of less than 50 percent of severely or terminally ill patients having filed an advance directive; and
WHEREAS, it is likely that a significant reason for these low percentages is that there is both a lack of knowledge and considerable confusion in the public about the purpose and use of Advance Directives; and
WHEREAS, one of the principal goals of Healthcare Decisions Day is to encourage hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, and hospices to participate in a State-wide effort to provide clear and consistent information to the public about the importance of advance directives, as well as to encourage medical professionals and lawyers to volunteer their time and efforts to improve public knowledge and increase the number of Pennsylvania citizens who have filed advance directives; and
WHEREAS, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, through the UPMC Day of Conversation, and other health care organizations throughout Pennsylvania have endorsed this event and are committed to educating the public about the importance of discussing end of life health care choices and executing advance directives; and
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh recognizes the importance of the UPMC Day of Conversation in furthering the interest of public health in our community, and does hereby declare Thursday, April 16th, 2015, to be "Healthcare Decisions Day" in the City of Pitt...
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