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End of Life Option Act

Learn about Dignity Health's approach to the California End of Life Option Act and our commitment to compassionate palliative care. We support comfort and dignity throughout life's sacred journey.

An elderly woman strolls barefoot along a sandy beach at sunset. A gray-haired woman enjoys the sunrise by the seashore, feeling free. Concepts of retirement, freedom, and relaxation.

Our commitment to life’s sacred journey

The California End of Life Option Act took effect on June 9, 2016, allowing physicians to prescribe life-ending medication to eligible patients. The law allows individual clinicians or health systems to choose whether to participate.

Dignity Health does not take part in activities under this law. This applies to all our hospitals, home care, hospice programs and physicians in the Dignity Health Medical Group. Our mission calls us to provide compassionate care without intentionally hastening or artificially delaying death. We focus on promoting comfort and dignity throughout life's sacred journey.

Read our End of Life Option Act policy


Our approach to end of life care 

Guided by our longstanding CommonSpirit values, physician aid-in-dying is not part of our mission. There is no obligation to begin or continue treatment, even life-sustaining treatment, if from the patient's perspective it is an excessive burden or offers no reasonable hope of benefit. Death is a sacred part of life's journey; we will intentionally neither hasten nor delay it. For this reason, physician-assisted suicide is not part of Dignity Health's mission.

Read our End of Life Option Act policy


Patient care and information

We offer high-quality palliative care and honor a patient's right to decline treatments they feel are too burdensome. For more information, contact your primary care provider or the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California.

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