SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) and the White and Yellow Cross Care Foundation (WYCCF) recently hosted the community event “Let’s Start the Conversation” at the WYCCF Big Dining Room.
The event focused on an important but often difficult question: what kind of healthcare would you want if one day you were no longer able to speak for yourself?
The evening included presentations and discussions on topics such as talking with family members about healthcare wishes, involvement in decisions about one’s own care, advance directives, and Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) decisions and counted approximately 100 attendees. A panel discussion followed, giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions directly to healthcare and other professionals and to discuss some of the practical and emotional challenges families can face when important healthcare decisions need to be made.
SMMC’s Cardiologist Dr. Emiko Bird-Lake emphasized the importance of starting these conversations before an emergency occurs: “It is my responsibility to provide you with the necessary information related to your health; I can guide your plan of care, but ultimately, your decision is the one that matters the most.”
Throughout the evening, participants were encouraged to not only think about their own wishes, but also to discuss them with the people closest to them. Knowing a loved one’s wishes can help families and healthcare professionals make difficult decisions with greater confidence when a person is no longer able to communicate those wishes themselves.
Nurse Michelline Hunte & Vaitaire Overman-Moeljoredjo of WYCCF reflected on the importance of creating space in the community for these conversations: “Proactive dialogues get desired outcomes”.
During the discussions, attendees raised questions about Advance Care Planning and Do Not Resuscitate orders. Speakers and panel members answered these questions, cleared up common misconceptions, and walked through some of the considerations that should play a role in future healthcare decisions.
SMMC and WYCCF hope the event will encourage participants to continue these conversations at home with their families and loved ones. Both organizations stressed that people should not wait until someone is seriously ill to start thinking and talking about their healthcare preferences.
SMMC and WYCCF thank all speakers, panel members, professionals, and community members who participated in the evening and contributed to an open and informative discussion.
