What is the SDCCC?
The San Diego Coalition for Compassionate Care (SDCCC) is based in San Diego, California. It’s a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare outcomes that align with medical treatments and an individual’s goal of care. Advances in medical treatments continue to lengthen the length of life expectancy. This leads to a discrepancy between quality of life and quantity of life. There are times when the chasm between the two can be bridged by recording your beliefs on what is important to you and what modern medicine offers.
Founded in 2016, SDCCC traces its roots to 2009 and the San Diego POLST Coalition. The San Diego POLST Coalition was founded in 1998 to educate healthcare providers about end-of-life issues. Today, you will find SDCCC volunteers educating medical professionals at medical conventions, conferences, and on university campuses.
I joined the SDCCC board in August 2025 as the educational outreach coordinator. My duties include finding monthly speakers for our members’ meeting on the fourth Thursday of each month. I’m also an integral part of the annual symposium planning committee and related events. In addition, I use SDCCC materials in my public outreach events and with my private clients.
SDCCC expanded the scope of the Advance Health Care Directive and POLST education to include the public. SDCCC’s public outreach reaches people where they live and play. Our volunteers run educational outreach discussions and workshops at senior living clubhouses, senior centers, libraries, health fairs, and for private groups.
What is a POLST?
POLST is an acronym for “Physicians Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment”. Due to the hard work of the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) and related coalitions, the POLST is now California’s premier standard for treatment decisions when you can no longer make those decisions for yourself.
The POLST differs from Advance Health Care Directives (AHD) in that, once signed by a physician or equivalent, it becomes a legally binding document. If the patient does not have a POLST, the AHD becomes the legal document of choice. Learn more about Advance Health Care Directives here.
Because of the POLST’s importance, it’s visually distinct from other paperwork. POLST instructions are printed in standard letter size on “Ultra Pink” cardstock. Although the industry standard is Mohawk Brite Hue Ultra Pink, it can be printed on any color or size of paper.
Today, the POLST is translated into fifteen languages, including Traditional and Simplified Chinese. Whether you need to understand your options in English or Hmong, the POLST language is clear and concise.
What is an Advance Health Care Directive?
An Advance Health Care Directive (AHD) is a written, signed, and witnessed document that outlines who will speak for you when you can’t speak for yourself. It details your wishes around certain life-sustaining treatments and organ donation options. There are a variety of AHD to choose from, including the State Probate form.
I suggest everyone 18 and over have an AHD, whether or not they’re facing serious illness. Unlike POLSTs, AHDs don’t require a medical provider’s signature. Instead, they are important in documenting your values and goals of care.
