A Simple Step: Protecting Your Care Choices A Cross-Continuum Push for Healthcare Decision-Making

July 9, 2023

Group of nurses set in a hospital.Honoring Choices MA (HCM) and Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA) and a coalition of leading organizations are coming together this season to promote proactive care decision-making by helping adults designate a Health Care Agent and complete a Health Care Proxy document. This call to action is championed by advocacy groups from across the continuum of care, including the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, Honoring Choices Massachusetts, Massachusetts Medical Society, Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, Leading Age Massachusetts, and the Hospice & Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts.

Every health care professional can engage an adult in simple, routine care planning conversation:
• it protects every adult's right to direct their care choices;
• it prepares care teams to confidently start planning conversations;
• it supports our health system to address capacity issues and provide timely quality care.

Come join us! The Simple Step campaign primarily uses the HCM Who's Your Agent? Program and offers an additional comprehensive tool kit. Here's the short recording of how to participate and the MHA Simple Step Tool Kit to share with your staff and colleagues:

• Recording to the April 12 Webinar Launch
• MHA Simple Step Healthcare Decisions Tool Kit.

To Make Your Own Plan, you can download, free documents, tools and videos below. Everything you need is on the Honoring Choices MA  Resources page:

  • Honoring Choices Health Care Proxy; available in 15 languages.
  • New 6 Minute Video: How to Complete an Honoring Choices Health Care Proxy. Do-it-yourself!
  • Getting Started Tool Kit : Includes free Health Care Proxy, Personal Directive(Living Will), and Wallet Card.
  • Honoring Choices MA Personal Directive (Living Will), available in 5 languages.
  •  "I Have a Health Care Proxy" wallet card.
  •  "5 Things to Talk About with Your Care Providers"- a handy conversation guide series
    ... and much more!