Purpose
of the Comfort One (DNR) Program:
Some individuals who are terminally ill do not wish to have
life-saving measures, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR), performed on them when their breathing and heartbeat
stop. The Comfort One Program was established in 1996 to
help health care providers identify terminally-ill people
who have expressed these wishes. State regulations
contain a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) protocol for physicians
and other health care providers which sets out a standardized
procedure for the withholding of CPR
from patients who have chosen to participate in the DNR
program. In implementing the protocol, the physician or
other health care provider must comply with applicable state
and federal laws and regulations related to the provision
of or withholding of care.
How the Program Works:
A qualified patient is enrolled in the Comfort One Program
by his or her physician who fills out a Program
enrollment form. The patient is given a copy of the form and
a wallet card at the time of enrollment in the Program. Some
patients choose to purchase an optional Comfort
One© Bracelet, which provides additional evidence
of Program enrollment.
Under
the statewide protocol, CPR will not be started, and will
be stopped if already in progress on patients who are confirmed
to be enrolled in the Comfort One Program.
In
1998, a bill was passed into law which removed the duty of
a peace officer to respond to an expected home death, provided
that law enforcement has been notified of the impending home
death and there are no suspicious or unusual circumstances
surrounding the death: AS
12.65.007. A copy of the Comfort One enrollment form may
be sent to law enforcement to provide advance notice of an
expected home death.
Enrollment
Forms:
A patient may obtain enrollment forms and an optional
bracelet from his or her physician.
A
physician seeking forms and/or bracelets can obtain
them from: |
|
For More Information:
For
information on the Alaska Advance Health Care Directive,
please click
here.
www.caringinfo.com - National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Comfort One Downloads:
Sample of Comfort One Enrollment Form (for Training Use Only)
Sample of Comfort One Wallet Card (for Training Use Only)
Comfort One Brochure for Health Care Providers pdf format
Comfort One Brochure for Patients and Families pdf format
Comfort One Frequently Asked Questions pdf format
Comfort One Statutes and Regulations:
For more information, please contact Shelley Owens.
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