

Advance Directives
You have legal rights and personal choices concerning treatment options. You
should discuss your decisions with family and physicians. It is important that
they are aware of your wishes.
Please be assured that St. Mary Medical Center honors and respectfully
implements all Advanced Directives in accordance with The Ethical and Religious
Directives for Catholic Health Care.
Make Your Wishes Known Under
Pennsylvania law, you have the right to refuse certain types of medical
treatment . However, your wishes must be communicated in order to be carried
out. Occasionally, life-support treatments become futile. For some,
life-supporting activities maintain an unacceptable quality of life and/or serve
only to prolong the dying process. It’s important to give serious thought to
these issues, and make treatment preferences known ahead of time. You should
discuss your healthcare wishes with family and physicians. It is important that
they are aware of your choices. If a Power of Attorney or an Advance Directive
has been executed, family and physicians should be informed. Changes in
your healthcare wishes can be made at any time by notifying your physician
and/or family. You should bring a copy of your Advance Directive and/or durable
power of attorney to the hospital each time you are admitted.
Advance
Directives An Advance Directive is a legal document
that states your wishes regarding your medical care should you the patient
become incapacitated and be in a terminal condition or permanently
unconscious. |
| Durable Power of Attorney A Durable Power
of Attorney (POA) is a legal document designating a person to make medical
and/or financial decisions on your behalf, should you become incapacitated.
Ethics Consult Process In the
course of serious illness, especially when a patient’s wishes are not known,
questions may arise about treatment choices. An Ethics Consult is an opportunity
for a patient and/or family members to discuss with physicians, nurses,
caregivers and members of St. Mary Medical Center’s Ethics Committee the many
aspects of these difficult questions before deciding the best course for
treatment. For more information about the Ethics Consult Process, call Spiritual
Care at 215-710-5902, Social Services at 215-710-2073 or Supportive Care at
215-710-4616.
|