Medical Aid in Dying: Challenges and Solutions

Medical aid in dying (MAID) is currently legal in ten US states and the District of Columbia. The most frequent reasons for requesting MAID are typically loss of autonomy, decreasing ability to participate in pleasurable activities, impaired quality of life, and loss of dignity. As of 2021, nearly 20% of hospital beds in community settings nationally are provided by a religiously affiliated healthcare organization. In Washington State, over 45% of Washington state\u27s hospital beds are in facilities that are under religious directives, In most of faith based systems, developing a compassionate and appropriate response to patients who request MAID has been challenging, raising both clinical and public health challenges and concerns regarding how health care providers, institutions, and medical systems will handle requests for AID. This webinar will present the current landscape of MAID in Washington state and use case studies from three different faith based systems to explore these challenges and suggest some possible strategies and solutions. Panelists include: Hilary Walker, Advance Care Planning Coordinator, PeaceHealth Judy Kinney, Executive Director, End of Life Washington, Seattle, Washington Gregg Vandekieft, Executive Medical Director, Palliative Practice Group and TelePC, Providence Institute for Human Caring, Olympia, Washington Barbara Morris, Geriatrician at STRIDE Community Health Center, Denver, Colorado and will be moderated by Devyani Chandran, Director, Palliative Care Institute, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington Accreditation Statement: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements of the Washington State Medical Association through the joint providership of PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center and Western Washington University Palliative Care Institute. PeaceHealth St. Joseph is accredited by the WSMA to provide continuing medical education for physicians. PeaceHealth St. Joseph designates this live activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. This activity meets the criteria for up to 2 hour of Category I CME credits to satisfy the relicensure requirements of the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission