Save October 25, 2008 to attend our Annual Dinner/Auction

YOUR WISH is OUR MISSION
Our mission is to provide emotional, social and spiritual support to terminally ill Oregoninans and their families and caregivers so they may experience a meaningful and peaceful end of life. We also make certain Oregonians have someone to turn to when they wish to consider using Oregon's aid-in-dying law.

Since 1997 Compassion & Choices of Oregon has worked closely with all health care providers. We believe our clients deserve comprehensive and accurate information on all end-of-life options. We provide physicians with the information and assistance they need to assure their patients they are fully complying with the law.

Our services are provided free of charge to our clients, their families, caregivers, physicians and friends. It is your donations and volunteering that allow us to provide our services. We receive no funding from our national organization and all donations to Compassion & Choices of Oregon are used in Oregon.

*******************************************************
Check out Compassion's ADDITIONAL Recent News. Our clients and volunteers speak out for you.

Recent News
Compassion & Choices of Oregon Publishes its 2007 Annual Report

Compassion & Choices of Oregon continues its role as the steward of Oregon’s unique aid-in-dying law. We served more than 160 clients during the year, 135 of whom died peacefully and humanely in great part because of our volunteers’ compassionate support. Of the 135 who died in 2007, 31 chose to hasten their death by taking medication prescribed under Oregon's physician assisted dying law, 2 died after voluntarily stopping eating and drinking and 4 died via total sedation. In 2007, we also helped prevent 11 violent suicides from occurring (clients who expressed the intent to take their lives by violent means and had the means to do so, but changed their minds after working with our volunteers). We referred 69 clients to hospice care, referred others to religious/spiritual counselors, and mailed or emailed more than 12,000 brochures and other materials to our supporters.

Compassion gathers data that the Oregon Department of Human Services does not gather nor is required to gather. For instance, 42% of Compassion’s clients, since 1998, have self identified as voting Republican, 42% as voting Democrat and the remainder independent or non-affiliated. More than 98% of our clients had health insurance at their death, 67% were enrolled in hospice care at their death, 52% were men, and 89% self identified as belonging to a particular religion or being spiritual in belief.

In 2007 Compassion & Choices of Oregon participated in more than 20 public presentations before more than 1500 attendees and appeared before millions of TV viewers and radio listeners with staff, volunteers, clients and their family members. The venues ranged from panel presentations held by major media outlets, medical conferences, university & college classrooms, assisted living facilities, hospice meetings, private club meetings and private home gatherings.

The Oregon Department of Human Services' 2007 annual report and information about Oregon's aid-in-dying law may be found at the state's website. Statewide there were 49Oregonians who chose to hasten their death in 2007 using Oregon's aid-in-dying law. Compassion & Choices of Oregon has participated in more than 70 percent of all aid-in-dying cases since 1998.

The Oregon Department of Human Services' 2007 annual report and information about Oregon's aid-in-dying law may be found at the state's website.

CLICK HERE>Oregon Department of Human Services

*******************************************************
VISIT OUR NATIONAL ORGANIZATION'S WEBPAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT TO ENACT OREGON TYPE AID-IN-DYING LAWS IN OTHER STATES

CLICK HERE>Compassion and Choices

Compassion & Choices is our parent organization. As a national organization with over 60 chapters and 30,000 members, our parent organization helps patients and their loved ones face the end of life in areas not served by affilites with facts and choices of action during a difficult time. The national group also aggressively pursues legal reform to promote pain care, put teeth in advance directives and legalize physician aid in dying in other states.

Volunteer Opportunities
Are you interested in volunteering for Compassion & Choices of Oregon as a client support person? Would you like to be a goodwill ambassador or hold an event? Would you be willing to speak at events or perform office work? Then please complete the on-line volunteer application or print it out and mail it to Compassion & Choices of Oregon.

Volunteer Here

Directors

Patrick G. Boylston, JD
Portland, OR

Peter Goodwin, MD
Portland, OR

Teresa Grove
RN, EdD - Immediate Past Chair
Camas, WA

Julie McMurchie, JD
Portland, OR

Jeffrey I. Menashe, MD
Portland, OR

Derianna Mooney
BSN, RN - Chair of the Board
Portland, OR

Bobbie Regan, BA
Portland, OR

Harriet Shlim Richard, MSW
Bend, OR

Brian Ruess
JD, Signature Secretary/Treasurer
Portland, OR

Advisors

JoAnn Bowman
Former State Representative

Nancy Bragdon

Mary Gay Broderick

Ron Cease
Former State Senator

Gwyneth Gamble-Booth

Lynne Gazzola

Nicholas Gideonse, MD

Renée Holzman
President Holzman Foundation

John Howieson, MD

Harriett Dixon Kazzimir

Marianne Leipzig

Dolorosa Margulis

Laurie B. Marx

Sally McCracken

Carolyn McMurchie

Sandra Meredith

Laura Middleton

Christina Nicholaidis, MD

Peter Rasmussen, MD

Barbara Roberts
Former Governor

Rabbi Emanuel Rose

Rabbi Kim I. Rosen

Rev. Robert Schaibly

Donna Schuurman

Rabbi Joshua Stampfer

Rabbi Ariel C. Stone

Kate Swindell

Charles Swindells

Robert Trotman

Miranda Wellman

George Whatley, MD

Stacie White

Dara Wilk