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.
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.
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.
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.
Partnerships include
Illinois State
Medical Society, Chicago Medical Society, EMS Illinois
Medical Directors and Advisory Councils, Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, Illinois
Organization of Nurse Leaders, Illinois Office of Health Information Technology, Leading
Age, Illinois Academy of F
amily Physicians, Illinois Catholic Healthcare Association,
University of Illinois Hospital, University of Illinois School of Public Health, SIU School of
Medicine, DePaul University, Illinois Health & Hospital Association and Illinois HomeCare
&
Hospice Council