Medical Aid in Dying and What it Means to Your clients - Barak Wolff

Mr. Wolff will discuss the Elizabeth Whitefield End-of-Life Options Act that went into effect on June 18, 2021 to authorize the practice of medical aid in dying.  New Mexico became the 11th jurisdiction in the US to allow terminally ill, competent adults with six months or less to live and the ability to self-administer to request life-ending medications from a willing clinician to hasten their death.. if, when and where they choose.

This session will briefly review where medical aid in dying fits in with advance care planning and other end of life options.   Mr. Wolff will provide an overview of the nation's newest and most progressive medical aid in dying law, an update on how the law is being implemented so far and the services of a new nonprofit End of Life Options, New Mexico.  (https://endoflifeoptionsnm.org).There will be handouts and time for questions, comments and discussion about these important end-of- life issues

Barak is a mostly retired, long-time public health leader in New Mexico working in rural Primary Care, EMS and Trauma Systems and as the Director of Public Health Division in the NM Department of Health.   Barak has served as an analyst for the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee for the last seventeen years when they are in session.   For the last nine years, Barak has been deeply involved with end-of-life issues and is on the founding Board of Directors for the newly created non profit End of Life Options, New Mexico.   He is grateful for this opportunity to help improve our care systems and support New Mexicans in their end-of-life decisions, now including medical aid in dying.