Hospital Encourages Community To “Talk About It” On National Healthcare Decisions Day

The state of Nebraska gives every competent adult, 19 years or older, the right to make their own health care decisions, including accepting, rejecting or stopping medical care. Columbus Community Hospital is here to help you understand your rights and make your wishes known.

National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) is celebrated annually on April 16. It encourages and empowers people to talk about their wishes for care through the end of life. The hospital wants to normalize reviewing these decisions each year, as your wishes — or the people in your life — may change.

Advance directives are documents that state what kind of medical care you want, or that designate someone to make decisions about your medical care if you are unable to do so yourself. The state of Nebraska recognizes two types of advance directives — a living will declaration and a durable power of attorney for health care. Two qualified witnesses or a notary must sign each advance directive.

“When we’re sick in the hospital, that is not the time we should be creating advance directives,” said Nicole Blaser, director of quality and compliance at Columbus Community Hospital. “Ideally, we should create these documents when we are healthy, and have the opportunity to discuss the topic with our loved ones.”

The hospital is a free, local resource for people who are interested in creating or updating advance directive documents. If you have already created an advance directive, share it with the hospital and your health care providers to ensure it is added to your file.

For more information on health care advance directives or to schedule an appointment, call the Columbus Community Hospital social work office at 402-562-4498, or visit columbushosp.org.