Advance Directive assistance now offered by MCDH Auxiliary

10/27/04

Charlie Garcia, Senior Auxiliary Volunteer, is available to help community members

complete their Advance Directive Requests.

The Auxiliary at Mendocino Coast District Hospital is proud to announce a new service it is offering to the community.  Charlie Garcia, a new Senior Volunteer with the Auxiliary, is providing assistance to the public in completing Advance Directive Requests, or ADRs. Charlie is bilingual in English and Spanish.

ADRs should be a critical component of everyone’s health care planning, as they allow you to appoint individuals to take responsibility for your health care decisions should you become unable to make those decisions.  ADRs also cover you if you are still capable of making decisions but choose not to.

“When I came to the hospital to update my own ADR, I realized there was no one in the hospital to assist community members with this.  So I decided to come out of retirement and volunteer with the Auxiliary for this purpose,” said Charlie.

Charlie has received training with ADRs, and will be happy to set up an appointment with any member of the public who would like to update or complete an ADR.  He can also assist with the completion of “Do Not Resuscitate” Orders, or DNRs. 

This Auxiliary service includes making copies for the appropriate hospital departments and witnessing signatures.  These are legally binding forms when properly completed with signatures from the individual and two witnesses.

Charlie is a retired school teacher, with 34 years of teaching experience in the subject areas of agriculture, basic math, health, and substance abuse education.  He has extensive experience in teaching HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention curriculum, and it was while working with AIDS patients that he first learned about the importance of ADRs and power of attorney in managing one’s health care.

While Charlie will be assisting the public with ADRs and DNRs, our Case Managers will continue to assist hospital patients with these forms.  The ADR and DNR forms are available at the hospital’s North Lobby desk.  If you or someone you know needs help completing these forms, you may call Charlie Garcia at 964-3501 to set up an appointment.