On April 5, 2024, the Colorado House passed SB068. Next, the bill goes to Governor Jared Polis for his consideration. 

SB068, the bill to improve the Colorado End of Life Options Act, passed out of the House Health & Human Services Committee on Tuesday, April 2 by a 9-4 vote. 

SB24-068 was introduced in the House Health & Human Services Committee on Tuesday, March 12.

On March 8th, SB24-068 passed the full Senate with a bipartisan 24-11 vote. and moved to the House Health & Human Services Committee.

On February 29, 2024, SB24-068 was heard by the Senate Health & Human Services Committee and successfully passed out of committee by a bipartisan 7-1 vote.

On January 23, 2024, SB24-068 was introduced in the Colorado legislature. The bill includes three new provisions to:

  • Provide an advanced practice registered nurse with the same authority to evaluate an individual and prescribe medication as a physician
  • Reduce the waiting period between oral requests from 15 days to 7 days
  • Allow attending providers to waive the mandatory waiting period if the patient is unlikely to survive more than 48 hours and meets all other qualifications, and removing the requirement that an individual must be a resident of the state to access end-of-life options.

You can pledge your support, here: https://join.compassionandchoices.org/a/join-end-life-options-movement

The Colorado End-of-Life Options Act went into effect on December 16, 2016, authorizing the compassionate option of medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults to get a prescription they can take to end their suffering peacefully.  On February 18, 2021, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released its annual report on the End-of-Life Options Act which confirms that hundreds of patients have benefitted from this compassionate option.

Take Action

  • Attend an Event in Colorado: Participate in virtual activities related to medical aid in dying and advance care planning.
  • Volunteer With Us: Join other passionate and dedicated individuals to work to re-enact legislation that improves care and expands end-of-life choice.
  • Schedule a Presentation: We’ll explain the full range of end-of-life options and explain step-by-step how the law works – in English and in Spanish.

Bilingual Access Campaign

  • Helps patients, caregivers and health professionals understand how the law works.
  • Assists healthcare facilities develop more supportive policies.
  • Provides technical assistance and presentations to healthcare providers on end-of-life options.

Tools and Resources

simple blue medical cross graphic.For Patients Learn whether you are eligible for the Colorado End of Life Options Act.

 

 

tools for end of life planning and decision making.End-of-Life Planning Use our step-by-step guide to chart your journey or access the Colorado advance directive directly here.

 

 

advance care planning and resources in Spanish, espanol.Recursos en Español Recursos en Español.

 

 

answers to questions about COVID-19, including treatment and end of life.COVID-19 Toolkit Get answers to your questions about COVID-19 and end of life care.

 

 

tools for end of life planning and decision making.Resources for Providers Find resources tailored to the needs of healthcare providers.

 

 

tools for documenting end-of-life for dementia.Dementia Values & Priorities Tool Use our tool to document your preferences to make sure you get the care you want.

 

 

History

In 2016, Compassion & Choices and the Compassion & Choices Action Network made the strategic decision to support a ballot initiative in Colorado. Compassion & Choices lent its policy know-how and deep understanding of aid-in-dying laws to work with petitioners to draft the proposed statute, while the Compassion & Choices Action Network provided important financial resources to foster an effective on-the-ground advocacy effort.

Bolstered by funds provided by Compassion & Choices Action Network – Colorado (CCAN-CO), the Yes on Colorado End-of-Life Options committee organized the citizen-led campaign for Proposition 106 after two narrowly failed attempts by the Colorado Legislature to pass the measure, in spite of multiple public polls showing overwhelming support.

In December 2016, as the result of a ballot initiative, Proposition 106, the Colorado End-of-Life Options Act went into effect. The voters of Colorado supported the ballot measure by a 2-1 margin, giving Proposition 106 more “Yes” votes than any ballot measure in state history. Compassion & Choices and the Compassion & Choices Action Network inspired a citizen-led ballot initiative and provided financial and technical support to the Yes on Colorado End-of-Life Options campaign. Read more about the effort to pass the Colorado measure in a blog by Kim Callinan here.

Following on Compassion & Choices’ efforts to help pass the measure, we immediately launched a bilingual access campaign to ensure that Coloradans understand how the law works and their care providers have supportive policies in place. Volunteers provide public outreach events at public libraries, community centers, recreation centers, health fairs, senior centers and other social events. Medical Provider Advocates also host medical outreach events, such as in-service training and healthcare provider education, encouraging health systems and hospice to adopt policies supportive of patient choice. Compassion & Choices currently has Action Teams covering nearly the entire state (Denver, South Metro, Northern Colorado, Southern Colorado, Western Colorado)  helping with implementation, education and protection of the state’s law. Action Teams are an important component of our campaign. They lead the outreach to local officials and help train local volunteers. Get involved with an Action Team.