With a breath

With a scream

With a call

With a hug

With a cry

With a poem

With new boundaries

With actions

With anger

With phone calls

With letter writing

With educating

With hope

With sharing feelings

With a pause

With grace

With care

With nourishment

I return to this is piece of brilliance often:

SELF-CARE IN THE MOVEMENT BY JAMILAH PITTS

Thank you for being a caring human in this world. It feels more important to remember with every single sense available to us -- in the past, the present, and the future -- that there are exponentially more people walking this planet who care about the well-being of each other and work to make a change.

A reminder: A Sacred Passing is a death-care education organization, and a cornerstone of our education is sharing the fact that care is important, not just during the dying process. Please look into our community events, which offer a space to feel cared for, witnessed, or seen in these times.

Still wildly in love with people who care --

Lashanna

2024 is abundant with many offerings, new and treasured.

Events have already begun. Take a look below and please share with your people.

We look forward to being in (physical and virtual) community with you!

Une Bonne Mort: August 2024

Movement for Grievers

Death Cafe & Art, 4th Fridays: next group February 23

Still on Earth: Survivors Care and Support Group, 2nd Friday

Listening Line Trainings

Grief and Care Under Capitalism: next group February 7 & 21

Abortion Doula Care Classes

Blooming with Grief: May 18

MAiD Grief Groups: next group March 3

Sunday Mournings, 2nd Sunday: next group February 11

Suicide Suppers

Facilitator Trainings

Death Care Courses, 3-day in-person & 8-week virtual

The stakes are high in 2024. During an age of increased alienation and rising fascism, we must be equipped to make our movements powerful, transformative, and sustainable.

Join us for the launch of Right-Sized Belonging: Six Practices for Organizers! This workbook and website features different ways for base-building and movement organizations to get better at cultivating belonging (and what we risk if we ignore this fundamental need).

At this event you’ll find out more about the six key practices, learn how belonging shapes our organizing, and hear directly from incredible panelists.

Featuring: Gopal Dayaneni, Elliott Fukui, NTanya Lee, and Michael Strom

Hosted by: Sammie Ablaza Wills

Access: This event will be recorded, and ONLY panelists and presenters will be on video and microphone. Currently, we plan on having professional CART (live captioning).

Register Here!

Mordecai Cohen Ettinger (Health Justice Commons and Do No Harm Coalition) and Dr. Jess Ghannam (Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Global Health Sciences at UCSF) speak on the relationship between Disability Justice and Palestinian Liberation.

Download the full transcript here: tinyurl.com/TranscriptPalestineDJ

Image description: a graphic with a pink and green border that contains the text, "Ableism is constructing the flawed, exploitable, expendable body, community or ethnic group upon which any and all violence, exploitation, neglect or denial of basic resources is not only justifiable but sensible, normal, deserved."

Below is a copy of a request sent out by Dr. Hope regarding SSHB 2166 that just passed unanimously (97-0) in the House that would establish a well-funded electronic POLST registry (no more bright green sheets stuck to the refrigerator!) and that would allow first responders/EMT to honor medical ID jewelry (medallions, bracelets, etc.) and cards indicating a preference for DNR

TLDR

Important Bill needs our Help

Email your rep the letter below

If the bill isn’t heard in committee by Tuesday, February 20, it will die.

As you know

The Washington state POLST form is an extremely important tool that helps patients with serious illness, medical frailty, and/or advanced age indicate their preferences regarding whether resuscitation should be attempted in the event of a cardiac arrest, and what level/location of medical care is acceptable in the event of illness.

What you might not know

There’s a bipartisan bill, SSHB 2166, that just passed unanimously (97-0) in the House that would establish a well-funded electronic POLST registry (no more bright green sheets stuck to the refrigerator!) and that would allow first responders/EMT to honor medical ID jewelry (medallions, bracelets, etc.) and cards indicating a preference for DNR (no more “DNR at home, but FULL CODE at Fred Meyer!”) This bill is supported by the Washington State Medical Association, the Washington state POLST Task Force, and the Washington Serious Illness Care Coalition. 

The next step on the way to passage of the bill is the Washington state Senate, where, to reach a vote, the bill must first be discussed and voted on in the Senate Law and Justice Committee, chaired by Senator Manka Dhingra, JD of the 45^th Legislative District.

The problem

The legislative calendar is short and crowded, especially this year, and only bills considered important enough will get a chance to be heard. We’ve been told by WSMA’s representatives that, unless there’s a push from stakeholders, the POLST bill will die – without a chance for resuscitation! – before it can be voted on in the Senate. As chair of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, Senator Dhingra decides which bills come to the committee, and so far it hasn’t been scheduled for a hearing. If the bill isn’t heard in committee by Tuesday, February 20, it will die.

So what?

That’s where we come in!!

EvergreenHealth is located in Senator Dhingra’s district, and if you live in north Kirkland, north Redmond, Duvall, North Sammamish and unincorporated King County areas within, you are her constituent. Senator Dhingra, winner of the King County Medical Society’s Senate Legislative award in 2022, is highly engaged in health care issues and is very receptive to her constituents who are healthcare professionals and stakeholders.

The ask

If you think that strengthening POLST is important, please consider sending an email TODAY, FRIDAY 2/16 to Senator Dhingra at  manka.dhingra@leg.wa.gov indicating your strong support for SSHB 2166 being heard in the Senate Law and Justice Committee. Attached is suggested wording (SSHB 2166 Senate Hearing Request.Senator __________________);

 If you’re not sure which Legislative District you’re in, you can find out by entering your home address at this website:

Washington State Legislature.

Example of a letter:

Dear Senator _______:

I am a constituent of the ___ district. I am writing to respectfully request that as a member of the Senate Law & Justice Committee, you lend your support to prioritizing a hearing for Second Substitute House Bill 2166. 

As a [name a role] I care deeply about this bill, which aims to strengthen Washington state’s POLST program by establishing a statewide electronic POLST registry and allowing emergency personnel to honor medical orders, including those for “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR), that are indicated on medical jewelry (such as bracelets and medallions) and cards.

The POLST form, in use since 2000 in Washington, is already widely used across the state. It describes a person’s preferences regarding what level of medical intervention would be acceptable in an emergency in a set of easily understood, standard medical orders that first responders/EMTs can follow.

Unfortunately, the current system in Washington state depends on a paper form being available to medical personnel. While some healthcare organizations may have electronic versions available in their medical records, these exist behind electronic firewalls and are not accessible in the community setting.

As a result, the POLST is often inaccessible at the time of an emergency, making it impossible for emergency responders to reliably provide the level of care that is acceptable to patients. It is for this reason that individuals may receive medical interventions, including CPR, that they have already determined they do not want. 

By establishing an electronic registry and allowing medical personnel to respond to orders to not

attempt resuscitation, HB 2166 ensures that Washingtonians’ wishes for emergency treatment are easily accessible and can therefore be honored.

I strongly support this important bill and will be grateful to see it move through the Senate legislative process; I feel that a hearing would allow experts to answer questions that may arise and will provide the information that you and your colleagues need to vote on this important legislation. Thank you very much for your consideration, and for your service to the people of Washington state.

Sincerely,

Your Name Here