The June 2019 Department Discovery is focusing on committee of staff at
Campbell County Health: The Ethics Committee.
When making decisions about health care, patients, families, physicians
and other health care providers and staff often face difficult, potentially
life-changing situations. Such situations can cause ethically challenging
questions about what would be an appropriate course of action. At CCH,
the Ethics Committee offers assistance in addressing ethical issues that
arise in patient care and facilitates sound decision making that respects
participants’ values, concerns, and interests—without stigma
or repercussion.
“The Ethics Committee is privileged to have the ability to see inside
healthcare and really see how the human element comes out in individuals
when faced with tough decisions,” says
Patty McJilton, APRN, a Nurse Reviewer in the CCH
Quality, Risk, and Care Management Department, and is the Ethics Committee Chair. “There is a realization that
ethical issues affect everyone—the patient, the nurse, the physician,
the family—and that these ethical issues aren’t always necessarily
solved, but allows these individuals an ear for listening, and another
outlet when they don’t know where else to turn.”
For those who don’t know, the Ethics Committee can be utilized by
anyone and is made up of representatives from CCH staff, community members,
physicians and law experts. The committee is also comprised of members
from a vast array of different backgrounds, health experience, life experiences,
and knowledge from departments across the organization and in the Campbell
County, Wyoming community.
“Any individual can feel comfortable seeking help from the Ethics
Committee without embarrassment or negativity,” says Patty.
In 2019, the Ethic Committee is working on revamping CCH’s
Advanced Directives and developing a new process on how to make the committee members more
visible and accessible to all. The Ethics Committee can be reached by
contacting Patty at 307.688.1364 or
Patricia.mcjilton@ccchwyo.org.
A big round of applause to the Ethics Committee! Thank you for all that
you do for keeping our community healthy and safe.