I have asked Duke many times to assist me in completing a PAD or advance directive and they tell me to get an attorney to help me, even though I want the PAD for Duke hospital since they have a thing with forcing mental patients into therapy by arresting them if they get sick in their hospital. Why is this if Duke is the National Resource Center on PADs. I have not even been directed to this site when I have asked Duke Medicine for assistance in creating a PAD or Advance Directive that will work in their medical facilities. What's up with that???????
— GuestI want to thank you so much for your comment, which gets to the heart of the challenges we face communicating critical information about PADs to health care providers in hospitals and mental health centers. Even at Duke, where we conduct a lot of the research on PADs, there are barriers to making sure all providers know about these relatively new legal instruments. In fact, we are currently engaged in a substantial effort to educate providers in North Carolina about PADs, which should decrease chances that other patients experience the same troubles you had. If you are receiving care at Duke (or elsewhere for that matter), then please refer your provider to this website. Or, if you need more specific info, please contact us. Again, thank you for leaving your comment.