On April 16, 2026, the Community Health Council of Lebanon County—through its Aging Inspired Advance Care Planning Coalition—will host a series of special events in recognition of National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD). Together, these events are designed to encourage meaningful conversations about healthcare values, advance care planning, and what it truly means to deliver and receive care that aligns with what matters most.
A Day of Conversation, Leadership, and Community Reflection
We are honored to welcome Dr. Ira Byock, MD, FAAHPM, a nationally recognized physician, author, and leader in hospice and palliative medicine, as our featured speaker for the day. Dr. Byock’s work has shaped how healthcare systems, professionals, and communities think about person-centered, goal-aligned care across the lifespan.
Morning: Clinical Education
The day begins with Grand Rounds for healthcare professionals, focused on putting patient goals at the center of care. This session will explore how meaningful conversations and personalized care can improve quality, reduce moral distress, and support better outcomes for patients and families. Designed for physicians, nurses, social workers, case managers, and trainees, this presentation emphasizes practical approaches that can be integrated into everyday clinical practice.
Midday: Leadership Conversation
At midday, Dr. Byock will engage executive and clinical leadership in a facilitated luncheon conversation titled Providing the Best Care Possible. This session invites healthcare leaders to reflect on how culture, values, and personalization shape care delivery—and how aligning care with patient goals can improve quality while reducing unnecessary utilization, prolonged hospitalizations, and burdensome or unwanted treatments.
Evening: Community Conversation
The day concludes with a free, public community event, Living Well by Planning Ahead, held in a welcoming, accessible setting. This uplifting conversation invites individuals and families to reflect on what matters most in their lives and how planning ahead can bring clarity, confidence, and peace of mind. Drawing on stories and insights from decades of caring for people and families, Dr. Byock helps normalize conversations about values, care preferences, and advance care planning for people of all ages.
Together, these three events create a shared opportunity—for clinicians, leaders, and community members alike—to engage in thoughtful dialogue, deepen understanding, and support a culture of care that honors what matters most.
Have the conversation today
“It always seems too early, until it’s too late.” This quote created by the founder of National Healthcare Decisions Day sums up what so many have said when they are filled with guilt, anxiety, and depression over the death of a loved one where they were called on to make the decisions. “We just never talked about what they would have wanted….”
Have the conversation today with your loved ones. At the end of any advance care planning conversation, you should have these “five wishes” clearly understood by your family:
- Who do you want to represent you when you can’t make health care decisions for yourself due to your medical or mental condition? This should be at least two people, and preferably three so you have your primary decision-maker and two people as resources and back-up in case they cannot be available.
- What extreme measures do you wish to have taken to prolong your life if death seems imminent? This includes CPR, other aggressive life support treatments such as Intubation/Ventilation, Dialysis, or Tube Feeding, and pain management.
- How comfortable do you wish to be when you are near death? How can Hospice Care enable you to lead a longer, higher quality end-of-life experience and support your caregivers in this journey?
- How do you want people to treat you? Whether or not you wish to die at home?
- How you will share your stories with those you love, and what do you want your family to do for arrangements once you die?
Here is what you can do today to plan for your health horizon:
- Gather resources. Find conversation starters, issues to consider, and instructions for completing advance directives through presentations by the Aging Inspired Advance Care Planning Coalition of Lebanon County.
- Start with yourself: What are your own healthcare decisions? Consider what will be important as you near death.
- Involve loved ones: Mutually share your wishes. Have many conversations as life and health change.
- Readiness: Give your advance care plans to your physician/hospital so your wishes can be known and honored. Be sure your healthcare agents, and those people in your family, your loved ones or the people who are most important to you all have a copy as well.
The Aging Inspired Advance Care Planning Coalition of Lebanon County has many resources available for our community members to make this conversation easier. Please contact us to schedule an event for your church, organization, company, or group.
No one can escape death. You should plan for it before it’s too late. You and your family will be glad you did.