Alaska Comfort One Program

Do Not Resuscitate Protocol and Identification

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:

• Alaska Advance Health Care Directive
• 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:

• AS 13.52.010 et seq.
• AS 12.65.007
• 7 AAC 16.010

For more information, please contact Terry Olliff.

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