Compassion & Choices of Washington Programs
We provide free counseling and client support services to qualified patients statewide who desire a peaceful, humane death, as well as those who want the option of using the Washington Death With Dignity Act (DWDA).
We are the only organization in Washington that helps qualified patients find physicians willing to participate in the DWDA and who offers personal presence at the time of death.
We created and helped lead the coalition (Yes! on I-1000) that passed Initiative 1000, the DWDA, with nearly 60% of the vote and in all but nine counties, making Washington the second state to legalize the option of physician aid in dying.
We now steward, protect, and uphold the law We created what is widely acknowledged to be the best advance directive packet (living will and durable power of attorney for health care) in Washington and have distributed it at no charge to thousands of individual.
We created the first-in-the-nation End-of-Life Advice & Hospital Visitation Authorization brochure for LGBTQ individuals.
We encourage advance planning and set a new standard in Washington for advance planning documents with our Compassion & Choices of Washington Advance Directive, and the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form, both of which we distribute without a charge.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Recent Success
Since the enactment of the Washington Death With Dignity Act (DWDA), we have flawlessly implemented the law, upheld qualified patients' rights to use it, and protected it from hostile legislative efforts. Our client support volunteers have empowered hundreds of people to make informed end-of-life decisions and then ensured their choices are honored, whether they wish to use the DWDA or not.
Current Need
Since 2008, our caseload had quadrupled. Because the population of older adults in Washington is growing each year, we expect an increasing demand for our free services. We seek funding support for direct client services as we anticipate our caseload growing in by another 25-40% in the 2013 fiscal year.