Hospice Services of Lake County

Providing hope, quality of life and compassionate care in our community for over 40 years

Sooner is Better

Patients get the most benefit from hospice support when hospice is called early.
 Call today to see how you or your loved one might benefit from hospice care.
707-263-6222 or 1-800-900-8820
 

End of Life Option Act

At Hospice Services of Lake County, we envision a community where all members can live and die with dignity. 

We value quality of life and honor the choices of individuals and families at all stages of life. 

We acknowledge that there are hospice patients who may wish to avail themselves of their legal right under the End of Life Option Act by requesting a prescription from their physician that will end their life. We are committed to educating and supporting any patient who inquires about and/or chooses this option. 

Our teams are knowledgeable about the End of Life Option Act process and can guide you along the way.  When you inquire about this option, you will be met with care and kindness, not judgment. We will ensure you have the information you need to fully consider this option.

From the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California:

Coalitionf for compassionate care of california logo with hand dolhind a heart

California End of Life Option Act

The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California does not take a position on the California End of Life Option Act. We provide factual information on the provisions of the law, some “best practice” recommendations, and links to other helpful resources.

The California End of Life Option Act (EoLOA) is a state law that permits physicians to prescribe a lethal dose of medication to terminally ill adult patients with capacity to make medical decisions if certain conditions are met. When these conditions are met, and the prescribed process followed, physicians and healthcare entities are protected from civil or criminal actions and patients are protected from adverse legal and financial consequences of a death by suicide.

Signed into law by Governor Brown in October 2015, the law went into effect on June 9, 2016. California  was the fifth state to enact a medical aid-in-dying law; similar laws have been enacted in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Maine, New Jersey, Colorado, New Mexico, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia. [Click the button below to access the full bill language via CCCC website.]

In October 2021, Governor Newsom signed SB 380, which made significant changes to California’s End of Life Option Act, including reducing the required waiting period between a patient’s oral requests from 15 days to 48 hours and eliminating the “final attestation” required from patients. The changes went into effect on January 1, 2022.

EoLOA Bill Full Language

Eligibility Requirements

In order to receive medical aid-in-dying drugs in California, a person must:

  • Be an adult (18 years old or older)

  • Be a California resident (no timespan required)

  • Have a diagnosis from the attending physician of an incurable and irreversible disease that will, within reasonable medical judgement, result in death within six months

  • Be able to make medical decisions for themselves as determined by two physicians

  • Make voluntary requests (two oral, one written) for a prescription for an aid-in-dying drugs without influence from others

  • Be able to self-administer the aid-in-dying drug (by ingestion: either by mouth, or through PEG or rectal tube)

The request for medical aid-in-dying medications must be made solely and directly by the patient to the attending physician; it cannot be made on behalf of the patient through a power of attorney, an advance health care directive, a conservator, healthcare agent, surrogate, or any other legally recognized health care decision maker.

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Participation Is Voluntary for Patients, Healthcare Providers, and Healthcare Entities

Participation in the End of Life Option Act is voluntary for individual patients, healthcare providers (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, etc.), as well as healthcare entities, including health systems, HMOs, hospitals, medical offices, nursing homes, pharmacies, and hospices. Insurance providers are not required to cover aid-in-dying drugs or related physician fees. Patients should check with their health insurance company about the rules regarding coverage of costs associated with aid-in-dying drugs or related physician fees. Medi-Cal, which is California’s version of the federal Medicaid program for low-income residents, will cover the cost of the drugs using nonfederal funds.

 

Healthcare entities are required to develop a policy with respect to their participation in the California End of Life Option Act, provide it to all physicians who may be caring for patients within their system or facilities, and post it on their public-facing website. Policies that are not provided or post cannot be enforced.

 

New in 2022, physicians who choose not to participate in the End of Life Option Act are required to tell the patient they will not participate and transfer the patient’s medical records upon request. A healthcare provider or healthcare entity is prohibited from engaging in false, misleading, or deceptive practices relating to their participation in medical aid in dying. In the 2022 amendments to the law, even nonparticipating providers were required to document a patient’s oral request as the first request of the two required by the End of Life Option Act. Due to a lawsuit brought by physicians concerned that this would, in effect, require them to “participate” in the process regardless of a position of nonparticipation, this provision will not be enforced. This ruling does not prevent a nonparticipating physician from documenting the request and transferring the record at the patient’s direction.