We have been thinking about how we want to grow in 2020 and are working to clarify our vision for the coming year. But, sometimes it helps to look back to where we have been and where we are now in order to look ahead. In doing so, we surprised even ourselves by how much EOLCCA has accomplished since its inception in February 2019. We wanted to share that with you: our friends, clients, and supporters. It has been a whirlwind year.

In ten short months, we have accomplished a LOT.  As an all-volunteer organization run pro-bono by the founders, we have already achieved several exciting milestones.  We started on a shoestring budget and to date have successfully raised $45,000 with the help of a major gift of $10,000, as well as donations from other kind and generous people who believe in our mission.

Those initial dollars enabled us to begin building critical infrastructure.  We,

• obtained our official IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation
• created and are maintaining a welcoming, resource-rich website 
• purchased essential data management software, insurance, and phone line
• marketed our services and created a social media presence with Facebook postings, modest promotions and regular blog posts on the website 
• developed curriculum for and hosted two volunteer training sessions (Los Angeles and San Francisco) to start building a strong and committed core of Client Advocate Volunteers.

Since we launched our website in May, we have become a virtual clearinghouse on Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) in California.  The initial ramp-up phase has manifested a steadily growing stream of phone calls and email requests for information from the general public as well as health care professionals.

To date, 38 individuals and their families throughout the state became our clients seeking MAID, 12 have died at the time and place of their choosing using a MAID prescription, and several other clients are in the process of concluding the 15-day waiting period and planning to ingest.  We have been honored to be a supportive presence at the majority of these planned deaths.  

Our volunteers have also given 28 community-based presentations, participated in a groundbreaking End of Life Symposium organized by LA’s City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte CA, and provided seven in-services for hospices and their physicians in the San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas.  We have discovered ten more physicians who are willing and have prescribed MAID whom we can now connect to clients who are having trouble finding a participating physician. We have also published 27 blogs and thought pieces and garnered more than 250 followers. And, the list continues to grow.   

Whew!  All that said, our vision for 2020 remains steadfastly the same. It is our intention to continue providing all programs and services on a volunteer basis and at no charge so they are accessible to anyone who wants or needs them. Our hope is that this year we will gain the ability to hire a Program Coordinator to support to our Client Advocate Volunteer program and our Management Team. This will ensure we can keep things running smoothly as we continue to grow.    

We hope you can continue to support us with good thoughts, cheering from the sidelines, and financial support if you are able.  This will enable us to launch our next phase of growth so that EOLCCA can reach out to and educate more Californians about all legal end of life options including the California End of Life Option Act.

All the best to you and yours for a peaceful and deeply satisfying 2020.

—

End of Life Choices California offers information and non-judgemental personal support to anyone seeking help managing end-of-life care planning or decision-making in California.  Please visit www.endoflifechoicesca.org to answer a variety of questions.  To speak with one of our volunteers, please call 760-636-8009.  All our services are free of charge.