New nonprofit looks to change how individuals view, plan end-of-life care

Two longtime medical professionals have launched a nonprofit, Looking Ahead Advance Care Planning, to help individuals plan now for the type of health care they wish to receive during end-of-life illnesses or in the case of a sudden traumatic medical incident.

Betsy Payn, MSN, who has worked in elder care, hospice and home health care for 35 years, and Veronica Coyne, MD, who was an internist in private practice and a former medical director for Doylestown Hospital Hospice, are Advanced Care Planning specialists and trainers certified in the LaCrosse, Wisconsin-based Gundersen Health System’s innovative Respecting Choices® program.

“Our simple objective is to see that every person receives the care they want – not the care others want for them – at the end of their life,” says Payn, who serves as executive director of Looking Ahead ACP. “In our experience with elder care patients, we see many who wish to have some control over their healthcare choices at a point when they may no longer be able to advocate for themselves, and to be assured that their wishes will be carried out.”

“We all have questions and concerns about advance directives and ‘living wills,’” says Dr. James Blore, medical director of Pine Run Community. “Looking Ahead offers an opportunity for individuals and family members to start the conversation with knowledgeable, sensitive and trained specialists as helpful guides.”

Payn and Dr. Coyne, who serves as program director, have assembled a vital and active board of directors to help guide the new nonprofit. Directors include retired Johnson & Johnson executive Marvin Woodall as chair; James Blore, MD, Pine Run Community medical director, as secretary; Brian Firth, MD, PhD, MBA, retired cardiologist and business executive, as treasurer; Jeffrey Buckwalter, MD, ENT, specialist on balance in aging; and Jane Gallant, MD, medical director of palliative care at Doylestown Hospital.

For more information on Looking Ahead Advance Care Planning and its programs and services: 267.544.9580, Betsy@LookingAheadACP.org or the website.

Shown in photo are Betsy Payn, MSN, and Veronica Coyne, MD. Credit: Chris Whitney Photography