It's time for healthcare ethics resources in post-acute, skilled nursing and residential care

Since 1992, hospitals certified by The Joint Commission have been required to have an “ethics mechanism.” This requirement is usually met by having an ethics committee and/or ethics consultation service. Since then, there has been a trend of shorter hospital stays and higher acuity patient population in post-acute and skilled nursing care. In 1997, the Society for Post-Acute and Long Term Care Medicine (formerly the American Medical Directors' Association) recommended that skilled nursing facilities also have bioethics committees, but neither committees nor consultation services have become commonplace in post-acute care. It is our objective to change this so that these same resources can be available to help patients, families and care providers in assisted living, home health, palliative care, hospice and skilled nursing facilities (nursing homes).

What is Community Healthcare Ethics?

For Health Care Professionals and Facilities

For Individuals

For Families

In most hospital settings, ethics education, review, and formal case consultation is available to health care professionals. However, healthcare ethics challenges also arise outside the hospital.

Our goal is to make these resources available in other places along the healthcare continuum such as post­acute, skilled nursing and residential care facilities. We welcome physicians, nurses, administrators, social workers, other health care providers and educators to contact us for more information.

There is no doubt that the health care system can be complicated and stressful. Individuals may be overwhelmed by the difficulty in obtaining continuity of care, understanding health care options and completing the appropriate directives should they become unable to make their wishes known.

Healthcare ethics resources can provide assistance in navigating the system in or out of a hospital setting, including rehabilitation, post acute, skilled nursing, and residential care.

Families are often faced with evaluating health care options and making a decision for someone who is no longer able to do so. It is also possible that, in the stress of such moments, then may be a breakdown in communication.

In the hospital, these families may turn to an ethics consultation service to provide support, information and mediation. We can help you find these resources outside the hospital.

If you wish to help us bring our vision to reality, you can click the link below and make a donation of any size, large or small by clicking the PayPal link below. Thank you for your generosity!

Our Mission

We are committed to bringing healthcare ethics resources to post-acute and long­term care: skilled nursing, assisted living, home care, hospice and other locations outside of the acute care hospital.

Advances in medicine have increased the complexity of health care decisions. The health care system can feel overwhelming and fragmented as individuals move within the continuum of care.

Since 1992, hospitals have had bioethics committees and other ethics resources to help patients, families, physicians, nurses, caregivers and others who confront difficult health care issues. However, these rarely exist in other settings even though AMDA the national organization for physicians who care for patients in post-acute and long term care has recommended that these resources be available to patients and those who care for them, since 1997.

Our vision is threefold: (1) to help individuals and families navigate the health care system and its challenges, (2) to help health care providers by presenting educational programs and support for those facing ethical dilemmas in their own practice, and (3) to be an available resource for all who are connected with medical care and issues that arise outside of the acute hospital.

Our Board of Directors

  • Karl Steinberg, MD, CMD, HMDC
  • Rev. Douglas Edwards, MFT
  • Chris Wilson, RN, JD, MS, HEC-C

 

 

Healthcare ethics, as a professional discipline, has expanded beyond the acute hospital setting. Healthcare ethicists, also sometimes referred to as bioethicists, are individuals who have education and experience in this growing field. They work within various aspects of the health care system to assist providers of health care, patients, and others who are concerned with challenging healthcare issues. It is our goal to connect them with each other.

We would love to hear from you! We also invite you to help us achieve our objective of providing assistance to those who are financially unable to access some or all of these resources. Your donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3)

Chris Wilson, RN, JD, MS, HEC-C
chris@elderethics.net

Education/Mediation/Consultation
14622 Venture Blvd #2135
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

www.communityhealthcareethics.org

Offering resources for patients, families and healthcare providers confronting difficult healthcare decisions and challenges.

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