Making health care decisions if you are unable

Making important health care decisions now helps provide for a legal decision-maker or

documents to guide a patient’s medical care when the patient is unable to speak for

him- or herself.

Each year on National Health Care Decisions Day, Stormont Vail Health highlights the benefits of advance planning in personal health care.

Where Can I Go For More Help?

Stormont Vail Health's "Helpful Forms" page from includes copies of blank health care directive forms.
"Advance Health Care Planning in Kansas" from Kansas State University is a 12-page packet of information and forms including the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions, HIPAA Privacy Authorization Form, Living Wills Declaration and Pre-hospital DNR Request Form.
Advance Directives from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health MedlinePlus links to current information and resources on the topics.

Lissa Staley

Librarian

Lissa Staley is a familiar face around the library and throughout Topeka. As Community Connections librarian, she comes alongside people and organizations while they work to learn, experiment and improve their own lives and the community around them. From Library Trivia and NaNoWrimo to voter education and non-profit support, she enjoys helping people make connections to the community and each other. She reads a combination of speculative and science fiction novels, self-help and social justice, and local news, while trying to make sense of them all together.

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