One month in….

Mandi Zucker

September 2, 2026

Live How You Like, Leave How You Like

Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with leaders and supporters from End of Life Washington. Our conversations were energizing, thoughtful, and deeply meaningful—and they reminded me of something I never want to take for granted: We are part of a much larger community.

End of Life Choices New York is focused on making sure New Yorkers have access to compassionate, patient-centered end-of-life care and choices, but we are not doing this work alone. Across the country, there are people and organizations working toward the same vision: a future in which people are informed about their options, their values are respected, and they have a meaningful voice in decisions about the end of their lives. And many of these organizations have been doing this work for a very long time and have supported us as we navigated the advocacy and early implementation of our own law. This visit was a beautiful reminder of how much we learn from one another. We share ideas, experiences, challenges, and a commitment to the people we serve.

But there’s another community that matters just as much: the community we offer to every individual who reaches out to us. When someone calls End of Life Choices New York, they may be feeling overwhelmed, frightened, or simply unsure about what comes next. They may be navigating a difficult diagnosis, caring for a loved one, or trying to understand what options are available to them. Whatever brings them to us, we want them to know one thing:
You are not alone. We are here to listen, to answer questions, to help people understand their choices, and to connect them with the resources and support they need. We are your community when you need one.

And just as we are grateful to have colleagues and supporters around the country standing alongside us, we are grateful to be able to stand alongside the people who call us.
The work we do in New York is stronger because of the community surrounding us across the country. And the people we serve are stronger when they know they have a community beside them. Whether you have donated, shared our work, attended an event, connected us with someone who needed our help, or simply followed along and cheered us on, you are part of this community, too.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for standing with us. And thank you for helping us make sure that no one has to navigate the end of life alone.

Sincerely,
Mandi Zucker, LSW, CT
Executive Director, End of Life Choices New York

In the News

Recent Events

We have been very busy educating the community about medical aid in dying. watch, listen or read some of the presentations, interviews and educational events we have been engaging in lately:

New medical aid-in-dying law brings choices – and complexities – to western New York: Mandi Zucker spoke with The Buffalo News about the availability for patients to utilize medical aid in dying.
Connections: Perspectives on the new assisted suicide law: An in-depth discussion with Evan Dawson about medical aid in dying with Mandi Zucker, Alida Merrill, a hospice nurse, and Jennifer Sanfilippo, and end-of-life doula.
Letter to the Editor: Medical aid in dying has wide support: David Leven, executive director emeritus and senior consultant, published a letter in the Buffalo News in response to an article on medical aid in dying.

Upcoming Events

We have several upcoming events that we encourage you to join. Find one, or several, options that you connect to and join us!

Meet-n-Greet. Mark your calendar for our free, online introduction to End of Life Choices New York on September, 14th at 3 PM. Come learn about us and introduce yourself as well! Register here.
Medical Aid in Dying Community Presentation: MAiD is an option for terminally-ill patients who meet eligibility criteria to hasten their death. Join End of Life Choices New York today at 11 AM as we host a community education session to inform you about MAiD and answer your questions. Register for the free presentation here.
Dying (to) Talk: A Conversation about Medical Aid in Dying: September 18 from 12- 5 PM. Mandi Zucker will be speaking at this in-person event in Rochester, NY to learn, reflect and connect with others about a conversation many of us long to have but don’t know where to begin. Register here. Can’t join us in person? A zoom option is now also available! Register here.
We are looking for volunteers to staff a table at Senator Weber’s 2026 Senior Fair on September 23 in the Rockland Community College Fieldhouse. If you are interested in volunteering, please let us know ASAP! Applications are due this week!

Update on Medical Aid in Dying Implementation

Medical aid in dying implementation has been going strong! We have referred over approximately 40 people to providers as they seek end of life care. While we continue to provide support to New Yorkers as they call, we are also connecting with more and more clinicians that are interested in providing this care. We have been honored to be able to speak, email or meet with each person that has called looking for services. If you are a patient needing coordination of services, please complete this intake form and we will work to make the needed referrals. We are continuing our outreach and developing stronger relationships with hospices around the state who will provide some or all of the necessary care for their patients. We are working with them to fill in any gaps in service, as well as connect them to the needed education so they can provide excellent care if they chose to do so. EOLCNY also created a comprehensive guide to medical aid in dying in NY that can be accessed on our website and/or downloaded if needed.

If you are meeting with your doctor in the next few weeks or months, don’t forget to ask them if they will be providing aid in dying care! If they are interested, please make an introduction so we can provide them with all the support they need! Share this flyer with them or ask if they’d be open to a conversation about medical aid in dying with End of Life Choices New York and The Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine. We would be happy to schedule a call to introduce them to the practice and provide resources for them to feel competent and capable to practice in this area.

We met with the Department of Health last week to discuss some concerns about the clarity of mental health evaluation requirements, as they had left some questions about whether or not neurologists were allowed to do these screenings. We had a successful meeting and the department has since revised the FAQs on their website to state more clearly who is able to perform these evaluations.

If you learn of trainings in your community, please forward them to us so we can reach out and let them know about the support we can provide. We are thrilled that we have been seeing trainings popping up and we want to support any organization to provide the best quality care possible.

We continue to receive many requests by major media outlets to interview people who are considering this option when it becomes available. This is an important way we can use the media to bring more awareness about this option. If you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and will likely be eligible to use medical aid in dying in the next 6-12 months, and you’d be willing to talk to the media either in print or on TV, please let me know. I can put you in touch with very sensitive reporters and producers who want to help share your story in a compassionate and dignified manner.

Ask Us Anything

Q: The hospital/hospice that I am working with will not provide me with a doctor to write the prescription for medical aid in dying. Does that mean I can’t use this choice?

A: No. If your hospital/hospice won’t allow physicians to write the prescriptions, End of Life Choices New York can connect you to one that can. You can still work with the doctors at that institution while pursuing medical aid in dying at the same time. In fact, we encourage you to continue to get care from a hospice while pursuing this option.

If you have a question you’d like answered, send it here!

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