BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  ACR 55
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   September 11, 2009

                             ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
                                 Ted W. Lieu, Chair
                   ACR 55 (Wolk) - As Introduced:  August 17, 2009
           
          SUBJECT  :   Health Care Decisions Week.

           SUMMARY  :   Recognizes the week of October 25 through October 31,  
          2009, as Health Care Decisions Week in California, and  
          encourages all Californians to think about and talk with loved  
          ones about their wishes for medical care.  Specifically,  this  
          resolution  makes the following legislative findings:

          1)Health care planning helps people think about the kind of care  
            they want if they become seriously ill or incapacitated; and a  
            Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form  
            and advance directives give people the ability to document  
            their wishes and identify a person to speak for them should  
            they become unable to speak for themselves.

          2)Introducing these issues in community settings can help people  
            begin conversations about their health care wishes with a  
            family member, close friend, physician, or faith leader.

          3)The California Coalition for Compassionate Care and over 100  
            of the coalition's member organizations have joined together  
            to sponsor a weeklong focus on health care decisions.
           
           FISCAL EFFECT  :   None.

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :

           Support 
           
          None on file.

           Opposition 
           
          None on file.


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Anna McCabe / RLS. / (916) 319-2800