The Editor:
For nearly a decade, I had the privilege of serving as PeaceHealth’s first Advance Care Planning (ACP) coordinator in its system.
When we began the ACP program, our goal was simple but profound: Help patients and families talk about what mattered most to them before a medical crisis forced difficult decisions.
Over time, PeaceHealth expanded this effort across Washington, Alaska and Oregon, embedding ACP coordinators in local communities and clinical teams. By any measure, the ACP program was an enormous success.
I was saddened to learn that all ACP positions have now been eliminated. This step represents more than a staffing reduction. It marks the loss of a program that placed people’s voices and values at the center of care.
ACP was a tangible expression of PeaceHealth’s mission to treat the whole person, body and spirit. Its success was measured not in revenue, but in relieved families, clearer decisions and care aligned with what truly matters to patients.
Health systems face financial pressures, but compassion and clarity at life’s most vulnerable moments should never be considered expendable. I hope PeaceHealth leadership will pause to reflect on what is at risk when programs grounded in dignity and communication disappear.
Hilary Walker
Deming
