THE POLST ILLINOIS COMMITTEE
Mission
The mission of the POLST Illinois Committee is to guide the development, acceptance, implementation, and evaluation of “Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment” (POLST) as a vital component of advance care planning for Illinoisans, in accordance with Illinois statutes.
Vision
The vision of POLST IL is to allow people with life-limiting illnesses to state their preferences regarding end-of-life care and be assured that those wishes will be honored by medical professionals across all settings.
RELATIONSHIP TO IL-HPCO
POLST IL is a standing committee of the Illinois Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (IL-HPCO). IL-HPCO is committed to promoting and enhancing palliative and end-of-life care in the state of Illinois, through education, advocacy, technical and supportive services. Its mission is to expand access to exceptional palliative and end-of-life care for patients and families living with serious illness.
More information is available at www.il-hpco.org
RELATIONSHIP TO NATIONAL POLST COLLABORATIVE
National POLST focuses on creating consistency among and promoting the policies and guidance approved by POLST Programs like POLST IL . It also monitors for federal legislation and policies that could impact POLST IL efforts and, where appropriate, addresses concerns or provides support. The mission of National POLST is to advance POLST through stewardship, education, advocacy, support for state efforts, and national leadership.
More information is available at www.polst.org.
Conflict of Interest Statement
POLST Illinois may accept gifts, engage with, and accept support from any entity committed to its mission, vision, essential values and core programmatic objectives. POLST Illinois will not enter any engagement that compromises its integrity, violates any federal, state or local law, is financially unsound, could expose POLST Illinois or its parent organization the Illinois Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (IL-HPCO) to unacceptable liability or other adverse consequences, or is contrary to the goals of National POLST, POLST Illinois or IL-HPCO.
Click Here to read our Conflict of Interest Policy in full.
Committee Information
The POLST Illinois Committee consists of volunteers from various health care and social service disciplines across the state. Members may represent hospitals, hospices, the state medical society, medical systems, faith organizations, EMS, long-term care and assisted living organizations.
Click Here for information about current committee members.
History
Since its inception in 2012, the all-volunteer POLST Illinois Committee has made impressive progress, including:
- Introducing and stewarding key legislative initiatives in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2021 to bring the Illinois Department of Public Health Uniform POLST form in alignment with national standards.
- Actively partnering with multiple healthcare providers and professional groups across the state.
- Establishing and maintaining a strong Illinois presence within the National POLST organization.
- Hosting national & statewide leadership meetings.
- Acquiring charitable funding from the Retirement Research Foundation National POLST private foundations and individual donors.
- Collaborating with healthcare trade organizations to survey and create educational tools and programs to meet the needs of the field.
