Ethics Consultations Available
Our partners at the Maryland Health Care Ethics Committee Network (MHECN)
are available for a webinar or call to discuss the ethical issues that are coming up as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to play out in Maryland. As you know, it is important to:
- Have conversations with residents and families about their end-of-life wishes now before someone becomes ill.
- Ensure residents’ advance directives, MOLST, and other documents are all up to date with current documented wishes, and physician orders are consistent with these wishes.
It is expected that hospital surges across the country will exceed the capacity to transfer nursing homes and assisted living communities' residents with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Discussing with residents and families now as to how they want to be cared for in place in the nursing home or assisted living community will be helpful to inform how to best meet their wishes, in advance of the anticipated continued spread of COVID-19, and its increased strain on the health care system.
Should you have questions or concerns about these difficult but important topics, or would like to share what you are doing, please contact
Anita J. Tarzian, PhD, RN via email at
[email protected]
or by phone at (410) 706-1126.
In the meantime, please see these additional
resources to help you and your teams:
- This blog post by Joanne Lynne about what long term care and assisted living facilities should be doing now to prepare for a surge of COVID-19 deaths.
- Healthcare professionals can learn more about the Maryland MOLST form HERE.
- This new “Quality Care Talks” podcast episode featuring Dr. Shahid Aziz, who discusses end of life care, ethics issues in medicine, and resources for healthcare professionals and families.