Newsletter

One year ago, the Steering Committee of AZELO developed a Strategic Plan. We mapped our 32 projects for the year and each project was assigned to a project manager. Examples include “Develop a fiscal sponsorship relationship with Death with Dignity National to support our fundraising efforts” and “Identify and recruit volunteers to assist in 2021/22 legislative projects. Minimum of 20 members per LD.”

Why do a strategic plan? Research in business clearly indicates that if you set SMART (specific, measured, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) goals, the likelihood of achieving those goals is greatly increased. Our overall vision is to pass medical aid in dying legislation by 2023, and we developed the 32 project goals to achieve that vision. Without clear projects/goals, we would dissipate our energy.

We also developed four overall categories: legislative, education, endorsements, and supporting. These categories allowed us to group the projects according to content. Marie MacWhyte has led the educational efforts, Leesa Stevens the legislative efforts, Mary Ganapol the endorsement efforts, and Dwight Moore the supporting efforts. Each of these leaders regularly updates the progress made on the projects in their category and attempt to nurture new volunteers to help with the work.

Every good plan should be reviewed, so this month the Steering Committee and Advisory Council will review our progress and revise our strategic plan for the upcoming year. We will be discussing whether to broaden the scope of our vision to include becoming the “go-to” group about end-of-life issues. Additionally, we will revisit our values and each project to determine relevance. The group will also identify the three top priorities for the upcoming year. The discussion will be robust as this is a dedicated and knowledgeable group of people.

Check back in the next newsletter for a report on the outcome of these discussions this month! 
 

What you are about to read below is “lawyer” talk so I will translate first: in many states where MAID is legal, such as in Washington State, close to 50% of hospitals and clinics are controlled by Catholic bodies. Many have told their staff that they cannot discuss Medical Aid in Dying and cannot refer patients to experts in that area.

This new law passed recently, states that a Catholic organization (“a health care entity”) cannot limit what its doctors and nurses discuss with patients; so from now on, they can discuss MAID openly with their patients. This is great news!

Now for the legal language:
"Pursuant to ESHB 1608, a health care entity may not limit a health care provider from providing patients with appropriate treatment and care information so long as the provider acts in good faith within the provider’s scope of practice, education, training and experience, including specialty areas of practice and board certification, and within the accepted standard of care.  A health care provider acting within the above circumstances cannot be limited from providing: 
 

• Medically accurate and comprehensive information and counseling to a patient regarding the patient’s health status including, but not limited to, diagnosis, prognosis, recommended treatment, treatment alternatives and any potential risks to the patient’s health or life; 
• Information about available services and about what relevant resources are available in the community and how to access those resources for obtaining the care of the patient’s choice; and 
• Information regarding Washington’s Death with Dignity Act (RCW 70.245), information about what relevant resources are available in the community and how to access those resources for obtaining the care of the patient’s choice. 

Upcoming Events
 

The League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson welcomes a panel of experts from various fields to discuss this often misunderstood, always interesting end-of-life option, also known as death with dignity.

Where: To view the program on September 18 (10:00-11:30 AM), copy this link and paste it in your browser:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87895992004?pwd=MTYyQW5ITytMT3RzNTNVcEd0MFNPUT09
Passcode is 117693

Click here to view the speakers

A special thanks to AZELO Volunteer Mary Ganapol for coordinating this event!

The meeting will be available on the LWVGT YouTube channel in October.