Save Other Souls Q&A
What is an Advance Directive?
An Advance Directive is a set of written instructions telling your loved ones and doctors what kind of healthcare you would want or not want if you are not able to tell them yourself.
What is a COVID-19 SOS Directive?
A COVID-19 SOS Directive is a special instruction which tells your loved ones and doctors that in an emergency where there are not enough healthcare resources to go around you would want someone else to get potentially lifesaving treatment instead of you.
Why should I consider a COVID-19 SOS Directive if I already have an Advance Directive?
A COVID-19 SOS Directive applies only in an emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic where there are not enough healthcare resources to go around. The healthcare you would normally want may be very different.
Will having a COVID-19 SOS Directive bind medical providers to my wishes?
During a declared emergency where medical resources are in short supply, the hospital’s policies and healthcare providers’ professional judgement will play a role in care decisions.
If you make your wishes clear through a COVID-19 SOS Directive, there is a higher likelihood that they will be considered.
What if I change my mind? Can a COVID-19 SOS Directive be revoked?
How do hospitals decide who gets resources like ventilators or limited medication if there is not enough for everyone?
There is no one method that all hospitals use to make decisions when there is not enough medication or equipment to take care of everyone, but treatment will usually be given to the patients doctors feel will have the best chance to get better first. Other patients will not get the same care if medication or equipment run out.
What are the COVID-19 SOS Directive options?
In the event of a declared emergency, hospitals could run out of critical care hospital beds, certain medications, or equipment like breathing machines, which could be used to treat people. The COVID-19 SOS Directive lets you pick any or all of these things you would like other patients to have instead of you.
Is the COVID-19 SOS initiative aligned with a particular religious doctrine?
No. The word “souls” in SOS refers to human lives. People of many different beliefs as well as non-religious people may want to participate.
You should talk with your loved ones and doctors about your COVID-19 SOS Directive so they will know that in an emergency where there are not enough healthcare resources to go around you would want someone else to get potentially lifesaving treatment instead of you.
Think about getting an Advance Directive if you don’t have one.
Talk to others about the importance of letting people know about their healthcare wishes by having an Advance Directive or COVID-19 SOS Directive.
What if you don’t have a COVID-19 SOS Directive?
If there is an emergency where there are not enough healthcare resources to go around and you do not have a COVID-19 SOS Directive, doctors will have to choose who gets certain medical care and who does not. They may not know about your wishes for others to get treatment instead of you.
The SOS Directive wallet card.
If you choose to have a COVID-19 SOS Directive and fill out the form, you should fill out a card to carry in your wallet or purse so that you will have it with you and can show it to your doctor if you have to go to the hospital.
Getting started with a COVID-19 SOS Directive
Before you choose to have a COVID-19 SOS Directive you need to learn what it is, understand the choices you can make, and be sure that you would want others to get treatment instead of you if there were an emergency where there are not enough healthcare resources to go around.
As with an Advance Directive, you should think about your own values and consider discussing them with loved ones and respected religious or secular advisers before you make decisions about a COVID-19 SOS Directive. Remember that a COVID-19 SOS Directive is only used if there is a declared local, state, or regional state of emergency with a shortage of healthcare resources related to COVID-19.
You should think about what kind of medical treatment you would want in any medical emergency. You should then think about if and how your feelings might change if healthcare workers will not be able to save everyone. You should think about which, if any, of these things you would want someone else to get instead of you:
Lifesaving equipment such as ventilators or ECMO machines.
Certain medications, like antiviral medications or experimental treatments that might help patients survive.
A critical care bed where more intensive monitoring and care are given to seriously ill patients.
A COVID-19 SOS Directive tells loved ones and healthcare workers that you would rather other people be treated instead of you. This might give you some peace and a feeling of purpose during an upsetting time. Your loved ones might also feel comforted by knowing that they helped you get what you want. Your COVID-19 SOS Directive might also lighten the burden for the healthcare workers who have to make very difficult decisions in times of shortage.
The way you think and feel about this could change as time goes by, you have new health problems, or circumstances in your life look different. A COVID-19 SOS Directive lets you tell others about your current wishes and then to change your wishes if you want to, for whatever reason, at a later time.
Creating your COVID-19 SOS Directive
If you decide you want a COVID-19 SOS Directive, you need to:
Fill out the form and have it signed and dated by you and your witnesses.
Tell your loved ones and doctors that you have an SOS Directive.
DISCLAIMER
Save Other Souls is not a medical provider or a law firm or a substitute for either. Any discussion about medical or legal issues on this website is informational only and subject to change. For updated information about COIVD-19, please visit the CDC website, or your state Department of Health. For state-by-state requirements for witnesses and notarizing Advance Directives, please check resources in your state which may be found through the American Bar Association, or through your medical provider or lawyer. For specific medical or legal advice, please contact your medical providers or lawyer.