National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16

What does it mean to make decisions about your personal health and care? Who should know? Why? How do I get started?

National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16 and was established in 2008 by Nathan Kottkamp, a healthcare lawyer in Virginia. The purpose of NHDD is to “inspire, educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.” It’s also meant to be inclusive among healthcare, legal and religious communities to work toward the benefit of patients, families and providers to ensure information is available and can be accessed to document decisions.

For more details about National Healthcare Decisions Day, go to theconversationproject.org/nhdd.

If you’re a registered organ donor, please be sure to tell your family and have a conversation. It may be easier to have the conversation now rather than in a moment of uncertainty, and it helps your family know exactly what you intended as an organ donor.