GLOVERSVILLE, NY – Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home, along with other national, state and community organizations, are leading a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decision-making—an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD). As a participating organization, Nathan Littauer is providing information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers, and execute written advance directives (healthcare power of attorney and living will) in accordance with New York State laws. “National Healthcare Decision Day is an opportunity to bring awareness to the need for everyone to consider having a healthcare proxy,” says Nathan Littauer Pastoral Care Coordinator, Reverend Doctor Bonnie M. Orth. “We want to remind our employees, and our community members that we always think it is too soon to make these decisions – until it is too late.”

Specifically, on April 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Nathan Littauer’s Palliative Care Services Team is welcoming the public in Nathan Littauer’s main lobby with free information about advance care planning and advance directive forms. There, the Nathan Littauer Palliative Care Services team will promote the completion of advance directives and recognize National Healthcare Decision Day.

A multidisciplinary team, Littauer’s Palliative Care Services Team consists of the: Director of Palliative Care Services, Susan “Susie” Duross, NP; Manager of Care Coordination, Margaret “Maggie” Rowley, LMSW; Palliative Care Consulting Medical Director, Nancy Knudsen, MD; and Pastoral Care Coordinator and Chaplain, Reverend Doctor Bonnie M. Orth. “Together, we provide emotional, educational, and spiritual support so the patient can make an informed choice,” says Duross. “We ensure that the patient and family wishes are identified and respected.”

As a result of National Healthcare Decisions Day, many more people in the Fulton County community can be expected to have thoughtful conversations about their healthcare decisions and complete reliable advance directives to make their wishes known. Fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficult healthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient, and healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address advance healthcare planning issues before a crisis and be better able to honor patient wishes when the time comes to do so.

“We are available to our community,” adds Rowley. “We help patients and their families understand their values and goals and offer a voice for patients in regards to the health care decisions they make – and it all starts with a conversation.”

For more information about Nathan Littauer’s Palliative Care services, call (518) 773-5254. For more information about National Healthcare Decision Day, please visit http://nhdd.org.

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About Nathan Littauer

Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home is a full-service, 74-bed acute care hospital with an 84-bed skilled nursing home. Since 1894, Nathan Littauer has provided safe, high-quality health and wellness services with a focus on securing appropriate new technologies for people residing in Upstate New York. Over the years, the hospital has expanded its services in order to offer health care that is comprehensive, accessible, and relevant to the needs of the communities they serve.  More information can be found by visiting www.nlh.org.