FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 4, 2005

Isakson to Kickoff Georgia Health Care Decisions Week

ATLANTA - Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson will kickoff Health Care Decisions Week Monday, Nov. 7, 2005, at 10 a.m. in the Capitol South Atrium.

Senator Isakson will publicly sign a personal “Directive for Final Health Care” to urge Georgia citizens to talk with their families and loved ones about their personal wishes for final health care. The “Directive For Final Health Care” is a recognized form of advance directive, used for legally documenting final health care wishes. Joining Senator Isakson in signing a Directive For Final Health Care will be State Representative Nan Orrock, State Senator Judson Hill, Gary Nelson, President of Healthcare Georgia Foundation, Dr. Jack Chapman, Board Chairman of Medical Association of Georgia, and Maria Greene, Director of Georgia Division of Aging Services.

Isakson said the Terri Schiavo case is a wake-up call to how important it is to sort out end-of-life decisions “I believe it is every person’s right and responsibility to make sure their loved ones are prepared to make decisions on their behalf by discussing and documenting their wishes," he said. "It is my sincere hope that all Georgians will join me in following the lead of the Georgia General Assembly’s Resolution and make their final wishes known.”

The Georgia General Assembly recently issued a Resolution declaring November 7 – 13, Health Care Decisions Week. The Resolution also recognizes that nationally Georgia is ahead of the curve, having local and statewide health coalitions, organizations, agencies and programs already at work to involve and empower people in the processes of effective advance care planning.

One such example is the CRITICAL Conditions SM program, a statewide initiative established by Georgia Health Decisions in 1999 to help Georgia citizens discuss and document their wishes for final health care. The program’s cornerstone, the CRITICAL Conditions SM Planning Guide, uses real-life stories to help people talk about their wishes with loved ones.

The program’s outreach includes 102 participating Georgia hospitals and health systems, as well as the state’s Divisions of Aging and Public Health. More than 350,000 CRITICAL Conditions SM Planning Guides have been distributed statewide since the program’s inception.

“We applaud our Georgia legislators and Senator Isakson in this declaration of Health Care Decisions Week,” said Richard Cohen, M. D., Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Georgia Health Decisions. “By this public signing of his own Directive For Final Health Care, Senator Isakson has taken a bold step in helping underscore the importance of discussing and documenting our wishes for final health care."

“Physicians and other health care professionals far too often see families in conflict when they are not prepared to make decisions for loved ones who can no longer communicate for themselves,” said Cohen. “Sadly, these conflicts often escalate into prolonged family suffering that could have been prevented by having a clear conversation. The CRITICAL Conditions SM program and Planning Guide are instrumental in helping patients and citizens have these important conversations with loved ones and document their wishes before a health care crisis occurs. That way, everyone is better prepared.”

CRITICAL Conditions SM Planning Guides are available in communities throughout Georgia and through Georgia Health Decisions. For a location near you, log on to www.critical-conditions.org .