Maine Hospice Council and Attorney General Rowe ask for Comment on the Status of End of Life Care in Maine

March 31, 2008

On seven consecutive Thursday evenings during the fall of 2007, the Maine Hospice Council and Center for End-of-Life Care worked in partnership with Maine?s Office of the Attorney General to host a series of Town Hall Meetings across the state. At each of these public meetings, Attorney General Steve Rowe moderated lively and informative discussions about end-of-life care in Maine. Local panelists and community members in each region were encouraged to engage in dialogue with each other and offer testimony about their respective experiences as healthcare consumers. During these meetings in Lewiston, Machias, Waterville, Bangor, Presque Isle, Damariscotta and Portland, the 225+ people who participated were asked to consider the following questions: How are we doing with end-of-life care in Maine? What is working well? What is missing? What conversations do we need to have? Who needs to be involved? Is pain being managed? Are wishes being respected? Transcripts of the meetings have been created and a final report is anticipated in late spring. In an effort to capture a broader spectrum of community voices, we are inviting individuals who were not able to attend the town hall meetings to submit their questions, concerns and/or personal experiences on-line. These additional comments will be considered an addendum to the town hall meeting transcripts and a valuable contribution to the final report. There will be a 30 day comment period beginning April 1, 2008 and running through April 30, 2008. Visit http://www.maine.gov/ag/elderissues/commentssought.shtml to share your thoughts on the state of end of life care in Maine.

NEWS RELEASE March 31, 2008 David Loughran, (207) 626-8577