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VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York - VISN 2
Significant Care Issues
Advance Directives
The Stratton VA Medical Center staff is available to
assist you in completing advance directives. These are
also referred to as living wills. You may choose to
appoint a health care proxy to speak for you and
make decisions about your health care if you are
unable to speak or make decisions for yourself. Your
doctor, nurse, social worker or chaplain can discuss
this with you. If you have a living will or durable
power of attorney, please tell our staff and provide
us with a copy for your file. If you have completed
an advance directive and you wish to change your
mind, please tell our staff right away. You do not have
to complete an advance directive to receive treatment.
Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)
Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) means cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) and/or other heroic health or life
saving measures will not be started when cardiac or
respiratory arrest occurs. After discussion with your
doctor, if you are able, you will make the DNR
decision. If you are too ill to make that decision, your
family or power of attorney makes that decision with
your doctor. The DNR order is not permanent and
can be stopped if you change your mind and inform
your doctor. The staff's concern for your medical
needs and comfort will stay the same. You will be
given whatever is needed to relieve pain and make
you comfortable.
Ethics Advisory Committee
Patients and/or their caregivers often struggle making
choices about what is best for their health care.
An example would be whether or not to withhold or
withdraw life-sustaining treatments on a patient that
is end-of-life (such as ventilator support, feeding
tube, antibiotics, etc.).
The Ethics Advisory Committee is comprised of
diverse VA staff to respond to consults as requested,
interpret ethics policies, clarify ethics-related procedures
(advance directives/treatment preferences,
informed consent, etc.), and discuss ethics questions
and dilemmas. If you have questions about the ethics
of any treatment or other health care issues, you
should explore these with your health care team. You
have the right to request a review by the Ethics
Advisory Committee (a group of VA staff who meets
to discuss these problems and make suggestions
when the need arises). If you or your family has
questions about the ethics of any treatment or other
issues, you should talk with your health care team. If
you still have concerns, you may ask for a review of
the issues by the Ethics Advisory Committee.
Organ, Eye And Tissue Donation/
Anatomical Gift Program
The Stratton VA Medical Center participates with
the Center for Donation and Transplant for organ,
eye and tissue donation and the Albany Medical
College Anatomical Gift Program. Talk to your
family members about organ, eye and tissue
donation so they know your wishes. Even if you
signed a donor card, your family will be asked to
give consent before donation can occur. Contact a
member of your health care team to inform them of
your wish to donate.
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| Reviewed/Updated Date: December 28, 2006 |
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