We want to know how to manage your health care if you can no longer tell us.

To prepare for the unexpected, adults over 18 - regardless of health - should discuss their wishes with their family and doctor, and complete an advance health care directives. If you become ill or injured, you may not be able to make important medical decisions for yourself. Your advance health care directives is a document that allows you to designate someone to make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to speak for yourself and give specific instructions about your medical care.

If you or a loved one are dealing with an advanced illness and life expectancy is limited, a POLST form may be completed by you and your doctor to assure that your goals of treatment are honored. This form addresses cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), artificial nutrition (various forms of tube feeding), and how aggressively you want to be treated during a potentially fatal illness.

Once you and your doctor have signed the POLST form, it carries the force of a doctor’s order at home and in any health care setting, and it will guide others in honoring your wishes for medical treatment.

For your convenience, advance health care directives forms are available from the Social Medicine Department. If you have any questions or need a form, call 323-783-4371.

If a patient is interested in getting their advance health care directive notarized, they should contact Social Medicine at 323-783-4371 to set up an appointment with a social worker who can assist with validating the document and contacting a notary.