The State of Vermont is getting ready to implement a new law that allows terminally ill people to get life ending drugs.
After a fierce legislative debate, lawmakers reached an unusual compromise in order to pass the legislation.
For the next 3 years, there will be a detailed process for a terminally ill patient to get the life ending drugs. Then in 2015, a streamlined procedure will be put into place. It’s one that basically gives doctors legal immunity if they write a prescription for these drugs.
We are working hard at trying to pin down some of those outstanding questions and issues - Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen
The law went into effect as soon as Governor Peter Shumlin signed it in May, but Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen says it’s taken several months to work out the key details.
“We’re working hard at trying to pin down some of those outstanding questions and issues," said Chen. “Probably the most important thing envisioned by the law is we provide physicians with guidance for reporting what they need to report for at least the first 3 years of the law.”
Chen says the information is now at the Department’s website and forms are available for physicians to use. The commissioner also hopes to expand the website in the near future.
“Certainly within the next several weeks to a month we hope to have more guidance in the form of FAQs available both at our website and on websites of places like the Vermont Ethics Network,” said Chen.
Cindy Bruzzese is the director of the Vermont Ethics Network – a group that’s been actively involved in end of life issues for many years. She says there’s been a lot of interest about this new law.
“There’s certainly been a lot of discussion about it over the years in Vermont. I think it’s been about 10 years on and off that we’ve been having this conversation,” said Bruzzese. “So now that it’s been passed there is a lot of interest just in terms of understanding what it means and what it does.”
Jill Olson is vice president for Policy at the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems. She says her organization is very involved in this process since many physicians are employed by local hospitals:
“Our hospitals have lots of physician office practices to consider when they’re thinking about implementation,” said Olson. “So it’s not really just a question of implementation in a hospital setting which I think in some ways perhaps is the less likely setting where the law would be implemented.”
Olson says her organization is working with the Vermont Ethics Network and the Health Department to develop statewide protocols for Vermont’s hospitals to use.
Links:
Vermont Health Department:
http://healthvermont.gov/family/end_of_life_care/patient_choice.aspx
Vermont Ethics Network:
http://www.vtethicsnetwork.org/
