ADVANCE MEDICAL DIRECTIVE

If I, _________________________, become incapacitated and am unable to direct my health care providers as to my own health care, I direct that this statement be read as a true reflection of my health care wishes.

DEFINITIONS
For the purposes of this document, the following definitions apply:

1. "Artificially administered food and water" (or artificial nutrition and hydration) means the provision of nutrients or fluids by a tube inserted in vein, under the skin in the subcutaneous tissues, or in the stomach (gastrointestinal tract).
   
2. "Attending physician" means the physician licensed by the state board of medicine, selected by or assigned to the patient, and who has primary responsibility for the treatment and care of the patient.
   
3. "Comfort care" means treatment, including prescription medication, provided to the patient for the sole purpose of alleviating pain. Artificially administered food and water is not included.
   
4. "Health care provider" or "provider" means any person licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized by law to administer health care in the ordinary course of business or practice of a profession.
5. "Irreversible (Permanent) Coma" means a profound state of unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, poison, or other means and for which it has been determined that there exists no reasonable expectation of regaining consciousness.
   
6. "Life-prolonging procedure" (or "life-sustaining procedure") means any medical procedure, treatment, or intervention which sustains, restores, or supplants a spontaneous vital function. In this document the term does not include sustenance and hydration administration, or the provision of medication or the performance of medical procedure, when such medication or procedure is deemed necessary to provide comfort care or to alleviate pain.
   
7. "Persistent vegetative state" means a permanent and irreversible condition in which there is:
         a. The absence of voluntary action or cognitive behavior of any kind.
         b. An inability to communicate or interact purposefully with the environment.
   
8. "Terminal condition" means a condition caused by injury, disease, or illness from which there is no reasonable medical probability of recovery and which, without treatment, can be expected to cause death.
   

MEDICAL DIRECTIONS AND END-OF-LIFE DECISIONS
I direct that my health care providers and others involved in my care, provide, withhold, or withdraw treatment in accordance with my directions below:

1. If I have an incurable and irreversible (terminal) condition that will result in my death within a relatively short time, I direct that:
   
   • I be kept on any artificial life support as long as possible within the limits of generally accepted health care standards.
     
   • I be artificially administered food and water, even if that has the effect of prolonging my life.
     
   • I be provided comfort care, and relief from pain, including any pain reduction medication, even if doing so would prolong my life.
     
2. If I am diagnosed as being in an irreversible coma and, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, I will not regain consciousness, I direct that
   
   • I be kept on any artificial life support as long as possible within the limits of generally accepted health care standards.
     
   • I be artificially administered food and water, even if that has the effect of prolonging my life.
     
   • I be provided comfort care, and relief from pain, including any pain reduction medication, even if doing so would prolong my life.
     
3. If I am diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state and, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, I will not regain consciousness, I direct that:
   
   • I be kept on any artificial life support as long as possible within the limits of generally accepted health care standards.
     
   • I be artificially administered food and water, even if that has the effect of prolonging my life.
     
   • I be provided comfort care, and relief from pain, including any pain reduction medication, even if doing so would prolong my life.
     

EFFECT OF COPY
A copy of this Advance Medical Directive has the same effect as the original.

SEVERABILITY
If any part or parts of this Advance Medical Directive is found to be invalid or illegal under applicable law by a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity or illegality of such part or parts shall not in any way affect the remaining parts, and this document shall be construed as though the invalid or illegal part or parts had never been included herein. But if the intent of this Advance Medical Directive would be defeated by such construction, then it shall not be so construed.

SIGNATURE
This document is made upon careful reflection. Options that I have considered and rejected are not printed above. I confirm that the health care directions contained herein were made after careful consideration and in full awareness of other options that may have been available to me. I declare that I am an adult in the Commonwealth of Virginia, that I understand the full import of this declaration, and that I am emotionally and mentally competent to give these directions.

Signed at ____________________, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, this 25th day of September, 2016.

STATEMENT OF WITNESSES

1. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia that:
   
1. The individual who signed or acknowledged this Advance Medical Directive, _________________________, is personally known to me, or his identity was proven to me by convincing evidence;
   
2. _________________________ appeared to be eighteen (18) years of age or older, or of the legal age in this state to create this type of document;
   
3. I am of at least eighteen (18) years of age and _________________________ signed or acknowledged this Advance Medical Directive in my presence;
   
4. _________________________ appears to be of sound mind and under no duress, fraud, or undue influence;
   
5. I am not a person appointed as _________________________'s health care agent;
   
6. I am not _________________________'s health care provider, an employee of _________________________'s health care provider, the operator of a community care facility, an employee of an operator of a community care facility, the operator of a residential care facility for the elderly, nor an employee of an operator of a residential care facility for the elderly; and
   
7. I am not related to _________________________ by blood or marriage and I would not be entitled to any portion of _________________________'s estate on his death.
   

RECORD OF COPIES

Record of people and institutions to whom I have given a signed copy of this document:

1. ____________________________________  Date: ____________________
2. ____________________________________  Date: ____________________
3. ____________________________________  Date: ____________________
4. ____________________________________  Date: ____________________
5. ____________________________________  Date: ____________________