HCR 37

                SPONSOR:
                Rep. Minor-Brown & Rep. Chukwuocha & Sen. Pinkney
                Reps. Gorman, Heffernan, Jones Giltner, Romer, Kamela Smith; Sens. Cruce, Lockman, Townsend
        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
        153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY
        HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 37
        RECOGNIZING APRIL 16, 2025, AS “HEALTH CARE DECISIONS DAY OF AWARENESS”.
        WHEREAS, Health Care Decisions Day is observed annually on April 16th to encourage individuals to take an active role in making informed decisions about their health care; and
        WHEREAS, advanced health care directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care, are critical tools for ensuring that a person's medical preferences are respected, even when they are unable to communicate them directly; and
        WHEREAS, DMOST (Delaware Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment) is a unique medical directive that is an actual medical order appropriate only for those persons within 1-2 years of end-of-life; and
        WHEREAS, advanced care planning provides individuals and families with the opportunity to thoughtfully consider, document, and discuss their values, preferences, and priorities regarding medical treatment and end-of-life care; and
        WHEREAS, persons are living longer, facing increasingly complex medical care choices and increasingly experience loss of decision-making capacity near the end-of-life; and
        WHEREAS, Health Care Decisions Day raises awareness of the importance of advance directives and provides resources to empower individuals to approach health care decision-making proactively and confidently; and
        WHEREAS, the State of Delaware recognizes the vital role that health care planning plays in protecting individual dignity and autonomy, reducing stress for families, and improving communication between patients and providers.
        NOW, THEREFORE:
        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 153
          rd
         General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that Health Care Decisions Day is observed annually on April 16th to encourage individuals to take an active role in making informed decisions about their health care.
        SYNOPSIS
        This Concurrent Resolution recognizes April 16, 2025, as "Health Care Decisions Day of Awareness".