Looking Forward to the New Year…

Live How You Like, Leave How You Like

You may be wondering why I chose to put this picture in my letter this week. As we are all sweating in the June sun, New Year’s seems so very far away.

But June is the end of our fiscal year, and it often reminds me of New Years, as we take this time to reflect on the past year and think about what’s to come. Fortunately, this year we are celebrating, and we are also looking forward to the next year with great anticipation and a sense of hope that we have not experienced before.

Now, I know the rest of there world may not feel great for many of you. Terrible things are going on in the world but in our little corner of the universe, we are certainly thrilled with the passing of medical iid in dying through both the Assembly and Senate and are waiting anxiously for the signature of Governor Hochul to make it law.

We will begin creating an annual report that we will share in the next few months that will highlight many of our other accomplishments (of which there were many) and we are already hard at work to start our new year off strong. I want to highlight a few projects and initiatives were are planning:

• We are working on an end-of-life packet that New Yorkers can have at the ready so important people in their lives have all of the documentation they need to take the best care of you if you cannot speak for yourself.
• Our new website and logo will be published in the next few months. This website will be a much more user-friendly site with more organized, up-to-date information
• We are working with partners to make sure that when Governor Hochul signs medical aid in dying into law, we will have doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals are ready to provide this service. We are also working on campaigns to make sure patients know about this option and feel empowered to talk to their doctors about it.
• We have elected our new officers of the board including Karyn Schorr, Secretary, Kristen Karlberg, Vice-President, Peter Strauss, Treasurer and Terry Perlin, President. We are thrilled to have them in leadership roles!
• We will be creating a guide to talking to children about medical aid in dying, so we can best support families who have children or grandchildren that have questions about a loved one who is planning to use this option.
• We are expanding our volunteer services, including a train-the-trainer program and a more seamless process for getting involved.

There is more, but I don’t want to give away all the surprises in one email! However, if you like what we are working on, please help us start the year strong by making a generous donation to close out this fiscal year. Knowing we have a strong foundation to start the new year gives us the confidence to dig in deep to make these things happen! You can make your donation here.

Happy New Year!

Mandi Zucker, LSW
Executive Director

Recent Events & Updates

Update on The New Program Director Role

Thank you to everyone who has applied or referred someone to apply for this position. We have met with so many talented, passionate people who would make amazing additions to our staff. While we haven’t finalized an offer yet, we are getting closer and should have an announcement in the next few weeks! Stay tuned!

Next Meet-n-Greet July 16th at Noon

Join us for our next one hour meet-n-greet in July. From the comfort of your own home, get to know more about us, invite friends to connect with us, and learn about opportunities to get involved with our mission. Registration is required so sign up today!

Ask Us Anything

Q: If I have a terminal illness and want to use medical aid in dying in NY, what can I do now?

A: Currently, medical aid in dying is not available in New York. If you are able to travel, there are a few states (some closer than others) that you may be able to go that would allow you to build a relationship with a doctor there. Otherwise, you may want to consider stopping treatments or stopping eating and drinking. In any case, you want to make sure you have a heatlhcare agent that will advocate for you and a medical team that will support you. Reach out to us for more information.

If you have a question you’d like answered in our next newsletter, send it here!