
By 2029, we pledge to ensure patients receive care that reduces unnecessary suffering and respects their wishes.
Everyone should be able to make choices about the care they want and live free from unnecessary suffering as they approach the end of their life. The Bay Area is home to some of the best hospitals and clinicians in the world. Yet, patients with serious illness report alarming levels of physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering. One in 4 patients nationwide experienced unmet needs for pain, half suffered from a lack of emotional support, and almost 2 in 3 had spiritual or religious concerns. Each year, thousands of people in San Francisco and Alameda Counties are diagnosed with a serious illness and learn they are likely within the last year of their life. By 2029, we pledge to ensure these patients receive care that reduces unnecessary suffering and respects their wishes.