Sonoma Valley Hospital and Vintage House Offer Advance Healthcare Directive Workshops

March 22, 2022

The next time your doctor asks if you have an Advance Healthcare Directive, wouldn’t it be nice to answer, “yes”?

Sonoma Valley Hospital and Vintage House, offer an interactive workshop titled “Who Will Speak For You When You Can’t?” that will take the mystery out of drawing up an Advance Healthcare Directive. The document spells out your end-of-life healthcare wishes for individuals, families, partners, caretakers and healthcare providers.

The workshop will be offered twice on Wednesday, April 20: 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. and in the evening from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Both sessions will be held in Room 105 at Vintage House, 264 First St. E., in Sonoma. You can attend either in-person, with limited seating, or virtually. Both sessions are offered free of charge.

The workshops, will be led by Rob Matheson and Sage Conlon. Matheson is a Community Liaison with By The Bay Health, while Conlon is a Medical Social Worker at Sonoma Valley Hospital. They will discuss the importance of having an advance healthcare directive and provide step-by-step instructions on how to create one. Dr. Schmidt will be joining the Q&A segments.

“When you come to the emergency department, one of the first things the team of doctors and nurses wants to understand is what your healthcare goals are.  How can we best serve you during this visit in accordance with your preferences?” said Jasper Schmidt, MD, and Sonoma Valley Hospital’s Director of Emergency Medicine.

“We encourage everyone 18 years and older to think about their healthcare wishes in advance, document them and communicate them to their family, friends and healthcare providers. If you already have one in place, this is a good time to review the document and update as needed. If your loved ones and other healthcare decision makers have a clear sense of what you would want when you cannot express this for yourself, the healthcare team can treat you according to your wishes.” Dr. Schmidt emphasized that this planning is very difficult to perform in the Emergency Department, when decisions must be made rapidly

You can register at www.vintagehouse.org/events, or call 707-996-0311. Those who would like to attend in person are encouraged to sign up as early as possible since space is limited.

For more information about the workshops, please contact Sonoma Valley Hospital’s Community Outreach at 707-935-5257 or email community@sonomavalleyhospital.org.

If you can’t attend either of the workshops, a video will be available in the near future. For more information about the video, call Vintage House at 707-996-0311 or email programs@vintagehouse.org.