El Paso County Attorney's Office, the University Medical Center of El Paso and La Fe Clinic, along with other national, state and community organizations, are leading a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decision-making—an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16, 2009 as National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD).

All participating organizations will be providing information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers, and execute written advance directives (healthcare power of attorney and living will) in accordance with Texas state laws.  These resources are available at www.epcounty.com/ca.

Specifically, on April 16, from 3 to 7:00 p.m., El Paso County Attorney's Office and La Fe Clinic are welcoming the public at La Fe’s Cultural and Technology Center at 721 South Ochoa Rear, with free information about advance care planning and advance directive forms.

“As a result of National Healthcare Decisions Day, many more people in our community can be expected to have thoughtful conversations about their healthcare decisions and complete reliable advance directives to make their wishes known,” said Assistant County Attorney Connie Crawford. 

“Fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficult healthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient, and healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address advance healthcare planning issues before a crisis and be better able to honor patient wishes when the time comes to do so.”