POLST Form Now Available In Spanish!

The California POLST form has been translated into Spanish and is now available on the California Coalition for Compassionate Care website. The Spanish version is for educational purposes only and is not a valid POLST form. To be effective as a physician’s order that is honored across the continuum, the POLST form must be signed in English so that emergency personnel and other healthcare professionals can read and follow the orders.

The POLST form is the most powerful way to make your wishes known in an emergency situation. Traditional "Living Trusts" and Durable Power of Attorney forms are still important and good to have. However when an emergency happens and the form is too hard to locate or if your chosen spokes person is unavailable, the emergency physician is bound to provide life saving treatment, whatever that may entail. 

With the POLST form, you sit down with your physician ahead of time, you discuss with him/her what your desires are concerning treatment, especially in an emergent situation. Then your physician signs the form, making it a legal order from a doctor. 

We encourage you to go listen to our Podcast with our very own Dr. Cochrane as he spells out the need for this form and how to specifically use this invaluable form. You can listen HERE.