PCV's Vermont & National Outreach Educational Programs

The team at Patient Choices Vermont (PCV) is on the move, educating and engaging Vermonters throughout the state and collaborating with end-of-life choice advocates nationwide. ​

Vermont Outreach​

On Wednesday, October 16, Brigid Guttmacher will join with Kasey March and other members of our Helpline Team and PCV's Wayfinders Network for an event at the Bugbee Senior Center. The 1-hour program will include a presentation on medical aid in dying including an explanation of recent legislative updates to Act 39. The presenters will explain who qualifies, how aid in dying works, and the role of hospice and palliative care. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A on end-of-life options. It is free, open to the public and scheduled to begin at 1 PM. The Bugbee Center is located at 262 Main Street N in White River Junction.

Brigid Guttmacher, M.A., L.P.C, PCV Advisory Board Member & Helpline Volunteer

Brigid has had more than 40 years of experience with hospices in Washington, DC, and Vermont as a volunteer and clinician as well as in private practice. After the death of loved ones, Brigid also provided support to family members and friends of hospice patients and members of their community. She specialized in helping individuals and families cope with illness, life transitions, and grief and loss issues.

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Kasey March, Death Doula

Kasey is an experienced doula and member of the PCV Wayfinders Network. She helps clients navigate end-of-life challenges. Her superpower is learning complex systems and explaining them to others in ways that are easier to navigate. Her goal is to assist and empower clients through conversations and planning around death, caring for one another, and aging with dignity. Kasey is an International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA) trained death doula and a National End of Life Doula Alliance (NEDA) member.

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National Outreach & Education
On the national level, our colleagues in states that do not have laws allowing medical aid in dying (MAID), report that people in their states have been curious about how it works here in Vermont. Recently, our Program Manager, Audrey Winograd, joined Sue Porter, a colleague from Oregon, to speak online to a large group from Ohio where there is no medical-aid-in-dying law despite the fact that a large majority residents support the passage of one. In representing the only states that welcome qualified non-residents to utilize MAID, Audrey and Sue were part of the "End of Life Learning Series," an interactive presentation on the requirements for accessing MAID in Oregon and Vermont.

Collaborating with our Colleagues Nationwide

Also on the national front, PCV has teamed up with the Completed Life Initiative to host a meeting of our counterparts in states that DO have medical aid in dying laws. Betsy Walkerman and Audrey Winograd and our colleagues from across the country will share best practices for safeguarding our respective laws, educating the public about MAID, and working with clinicians to best serve patients and their families. 
While we remain focused on serving Vermonters, PCV recognizes that the more that aid in dying is smoothly implemented across the country, the more this option will become part of overall end-of-life medical practice and care. Your contributions support Vermonters as well as our work with colleagues nationwide. This work touches the lives of hundreds of people who seek to have a choice at the end of life. Family members, doctors, nurses and social workers continually thank us for this effort and the valuable resources we provide.

​Please help us continue this vital responsibility with your donation.