Onondaga County Bar Association, NY Contact: Michelle Benjamin, Law Week Coordinator Onondaga County Bar Association 1000 State Tower Building, Syracuse, NY 13202-1860 E-mail: info@onbar.org Activity Summary: The Clinic took place on April 28th during the Onondaga County Bar Association’s Law Week. In this project, 19 attorneys received special training and volunteered to educate participants of eight senior centers and/or housing complexes regarding Power of Attorney, Health Care Proxies and Living Wills. Attorneys assisted those who wished to create a Living Will or to assign a Health Care Proxy. The program was developed in conjunction with Law Week and the NYSBA’s Health Care Decision Making Day. Activity Narrative: The Health Care Options Clinic was developed for Law Week in conjunction with the New York State Bar Association’s Health Care Decision Making Day. The Clinic, which took place on April 28, 1999, in eight locations, educated the public on Health Care Proxies and Living Wills, offered a sign up sheet for those interested in creating a will at a later date, and distributed flyers on Powers of Attorney. Ninety-four people attended the education sessions at various locations, and twenty-seven completed Living Wills or Health care Proxies. The target audience for these clinics was anyone interested in the topic; financial means and age were not an issue. However, due to the location of the clinics, most participants were elderly and/or low income. The New York State Bar Association donated the brochures and posters for the clinics. Also, two attorneys from Legal Services of Central New York, Inc. created a workbook which was mass produced and distributed at the clinics. The workbook includes information on Living Wills and Health Care Proxies as well as the appropriate forms. It will be revised annually for future clinics. This program was created with the goal of sending attorneys out into the community and meeting with the public on their own turf, thus alleviating concerns over transportation or time off from work. Furthermore, many of the participants are elderly and become nervous when they have to travel to a strange place, find parking or climb stairs. This aspect of the program is what helped to make it so successful. The clinics also helped to create a more positive relationship between the community and the legal profession. It helped the participants to realize that there are many attorneys who care about the public and are interested in helping the people in their community. So many times attorneys are portrayed on television and in movies as money-hungry and uncaring. The clinic provided an opportunity for the public to see that attorneys are people who care about the circumstances of others. Additionally, the attorneys informed the participants of other volunteer programs offered free to the public on an as-needed basis. Hopefully, we can help them with another legal matter in the future or help the public to realize that many attorneys care about the well-being of their community. This clinic expanded the public’s awareness of the rule of law by educating them about the law. The attorneys taught the participants the meaning of a Health Care Proxy and a Living Will. They educated them on why legally recording their final wishes and assigning an individual to voice their desires before a problem arises is important and necessary. Many individuals did not realize the benefits or the consequences of not assigning a Health Care Proxy or creating a Living Will. Furthermore, the laws and opportunities in this country are cause to “Celebrate Your Freedom.” In some countries, people are afraid to voice their opinion because they fear punishment. In this country, even when we cannot speak to voice our opinion, our laws give us a way to be heard. Living Wills and Health Care Proxies make it possible to have our final wishes followed legally. The fact that legal professionals volunteered their time and went out into the community to assist individuals in executing these documents is definitely reason to “Celebrate Your Freedom.” As mentioned earlier, nearly 100 people participated in this clinic, and another one will take place shortly per request of the Director of a Community Center. The public impact of this project surpassed our expectations and will only expand and grow in future years. One of the great benefits of a project of this nature is the long-term effect it will have for the participants. It will give them peace of mind now and help them later in life when they need it most. We are extremely proud of this project and of all the attorneys and staff who took the time and effort to help so many people. Over 70 volunteer hours were contributed to this project which does not include the organization of the events and materials. The program is expected to become an annual event in conjunction with Law Week and the New York State Bar Association’s Health Care Decision Making Day. Our hope and expectation is that it will continue to involve more people every year, thereby giving these individuals comfort and control over their lives when they can no longer express their wishes. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization