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HCR37 • 2025

RECOGNIZING APRIL 16, 2025, AS “HEALTH CARE DECISIONS DAY OF AWARENESS”.

RECOGNIZING APRIL 16, 2025, AS “HEALTH CARE DECISIONS DAY OF AWARENESS”.

Children Healthcare
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Minor-Brown
Last action
2025-04-17
Official status
Passed 4/17/25
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The resolution recognizes April 16 annually but specifically names 2025 in the title and synopsis; it is unclear if this specific recognition applies to future years beyond the stated date without further action.

Recognizing Health Care Decisions Day

This resolution names April 16, 2025, as a day to encourage people in Delaware to take an active role in making informed decisions about their health care.

What This Bill Does

  • Names April 16, 2025, as Health Care Decisions Day of Awareness.
  • Encourages individuals to take an active role in making informed decisions about their health care.

Terms To Know

Advanced health care directives
Critical tools, including living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care, that ensure a person's medical preferences are respected when they cannot communicate them.
DMOST
Delaware Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment, a unique medical order appropriate only for persons within 1 to 2 years of end-of-life.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This is a concurrent resolution that recognizes a day but does not create new laws or change existing rules.
  • The text mentions the importance of advance care planning and communication, but it does not provide specific resources or funding for these activities.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-17 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 2 ABSENT

  2. 2025-04-16 Delaware General Assembly

    Introduced in House

  3. 2025-04-16 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed in House by Voice Vote

Official Summary Text

RECOGNIZING APRIL 16, 2025, AS “HEALTH CARE DECISIONS DAY OF AWARENESS”.
This Concurrent Resolution recognizes April 16, 2025, as "Health Care Decisions Day of Awareness".

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Minor-Brown & Rep. Chukwuocha & Sen. Pinkney

Reps. Gorman, Heffernan, Jones Giltner, Romer, Kamela Smith; Sens. Cruce, Lockman, Townsend

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 37

RECOGNIZING APRIL 16, 2025, AS “HEALTH CARE DECISIONS DAY OF AWARENESS”.

WHEREAS, Health Care Decisions Day is observed annually on April 16th to encourage individuals to take an active role in making informed decisions about their health care; and

WHEREAS, advanced health care directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care, are critical tools for ensuring that a person's medical preferences are respected, even when they are unable to communicate them directly; and

WHEREAS, DMOST (Delaware Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment) is a unique medical directive that is an actual medical order appropriate only for those persons within 1-2 years of end-of-life; and

WHEREAS, advanced care planning provides individuals and families with the opportunity to thoughtfully consider, document, and discuss their values, preferences, and priorities regarding medical treatment and end-of-life care; and

WHEREAS, persons are living longer, facing increasingly complex medical care choices and increasingly experience loss of decision-making capacity near the end-of-life; and

WHEREAS, Health Care Decisions Day raises awareness of the importance of advance directives and provides resources to empower individuals to approach health care decision-making proactively and confidently; and

WHEREAS, the State of Delaware recognizes the vital role that health care planning plays in protecting individual dignity and autonomy, reducing stress for families, and improving communication between patients and providers.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 153

rd

General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that Health Care Decisions Day is observed annually on April 16th to encourage individuals to take an active role in making informed decisions about their health care.

SYNOPSIS

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes April 16, 2025, as "Health Care Decisions Day of Awareness".