Advance care planning is a process that supports adults at any age or stage of health in understanding and sharing their personal values, life goals and preferences regarding future medical care. It involves conversations about these topics and can involve documentation of these preferences in an advance directive or POLST (portable orders for life-sustaining treatment).
Oregon Advance Directive for Health Care – English
Oregon Advance Directive for Health Care – Spanish
Oregon Advance Directive in Other Languages
Your Guide to the Oregon Advance Directive for Health Care
Oregon POLST Information for Patients and Families
An advance directive can be completed by any person 18 years or older. It helps you to identify a health care representative and tells that person and your medical team what kind of care you would like to have. It is used when you are not able to speak for yourself or make your own medical decisions. When you are ill, an advance directive states what type of treatment you would prefer if you are unlikely to recover. Oregon’s form also allows you to share some of your values or beliefs that might influence your care.
An advance directive can be completed by filling out a document you get from your medical provider, hospital or online; or by working with an attorney.
If you prefer, you can mail or fax your advanced directive to Samaritan’s Health Information Department or upload it through your MyChart account, learn more below:
Once you have completed your advance directive, you can bring a copy to any Samaritan Health Services clinic or hospital to be scanned into your electronic medical record. It is also helpful to give copies to your health care representatives and other immediate family members so they know your wishes. Be sure to keep the original form in a safe place. Your advance directive can be changed or revoked at any time.
You can mail or fax an Advance Directive to Samaritan’s Health Information Department at:
Samaritan Health ServicesHealth Information DepartmentPO Box 2728Corvallis, OR 97339
Fax: 541-768-9363
Questions? Call Samaritan’s Health Information Department at 541-768-5069or email: [email protected].
If you have a MyChart account, you can upload your Advance Directive to your MyChart records. After logging in to your account, click on Menu. Under My Record in the dropdown menu, select End-of-Life Planning. You can upload your Advance Directive on this page.
POLST stands for portable orders for life-sustaining treatment. The POLST form is a medical order intended for patients with advanced illness or who are older and frail and may want to limit possible life-saving medical treatment. The POLST form turns your wishes regarding CPR and the use of life-support machines into medical orders. The POLST form is signed by a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant. Your POLST form will be registered with the Oregon POLST Registry unless you opt out. The registry is designed to assist emergency medical personnel in accessing your POLST form if the physical copy cannot be immediately found.
For more information on the Oregon POLST Registry, call 877-367-7657 or email [email protected].
A POLST is completed after having a conversation with a trained member of your health care team. It must be signed by your physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
Talk to your health care team if you want to change or revoke a POLST.
If you have questions about the form or just want to learn more, talk to your provider or call the Chaplain Services department at your local hospital.
Need to return to this page? Bookmark it or enter samhealth.org/Plan Ahead in your browser’s search bar.
