Vermont agency establishes advance directives registry

Vermonters can now file an advance directive that will ensure that a person's critical health care decisions will be honored during a time of incapacitating illness, coma, or end-of-life care.  The advance directive will be maintained in a registry called the "Vermont Advance Directive Registry" established by the Vermont Department of Health. Locating the documents and finding the proper designated "agent" to make health decisions is often a stumbling block to following patient wishes when the patient is unconscious or unable to communicate.  "This new registry marks a significant innovation and added protection for Vermonters," said John Campbell, executive director of the Vermont Ethics Network. "It provides the peace of mind and security of knowing that their wishes, exactly as expressed in the advance directive, can be available immediately in a medical emergency or critical care situation.

Source: Emax Health News, http://www.emaxhealth.com/24/9447.html