Sometimes making the right decision in the face of serious illness can be complicated. When there is uncertainty or disagreement, the Mills-Peninsula Bioethics Committee can help.

The Bioethics Committee meets free of charge to provide a safe, supportive and confidential forum in which you and others can think through a problem, consider different points of view, and sort through options. Bioethics involves making the best possible healthcare decisions for a patient with attention to more than just medical factors — especially when there is disagreement about an appropriate course of action. Committee members often discuss life-sustaining treatments, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, artificial ventilation, and artificial methods of providing food and fluids, and whether the use of such therapies is appropriate for the patient.

Mills-Peninsula Medical Center’s Bioethics Committee is available for individual case consultation upon the request of a patient, family member, surrogate decision maker or a hospital staff member. Members of this committee include nurses, doctors, clinical social workers, a chaplain, a patient representative and an ethicist. The committee also assists in developing hospital policies and educating staff regarding bioethics matters.

You may contact a member of the Bioethics Committee either through your physician or nurse, or directly by calling the Medical Staff Office at (650) 696-5660.