Forrest Health to Hold Monthly Advance Care Planning Meetings

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – (June 25, 2025) Advance Care Planning. It’s not a topic most want to think about, let alone take action on by talking with loved ones regarding their wishes, and actually putting plans down on paper. It really is important, not just for them, but for you also.

Forrest Health wants to help you plan in order to make the decisions you will inevitably face by offering free/no-cost Advance Care Planning monthly meetings at noon, on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning July 9 in the FGH Cafeteria Meetings Rooms. Meetings will be led by Amber Chancelor, RN, assistant teaching professor, Southern Miss School of Nursing, and will include question and answer sessions.

Advance Care Planning is the ongoing process of planning for future medical decisions. This planning reflects on goals, values and beliefs, understanding possible future situations and medical treatments, and appointing someone to speak for you if you can’t speak for yourself.

You may have senior parents, grandparents, or siblings. Or your parents may be deceased, and you are left to care for senior grandparents or even an aging brother or sister. The time is now to make those difficult, but all important, decisions in regard to their healthcare down the road. Don’t wait until you have to make a quick decision. At that time, emotions run high and may cloud your judgment and the decision you make comes from your heart rather than from your brain and what you know is actually best for your loved one. It has happened time and time again. And while you’re helping these loved ones make plans, why not go ahead and put your own wishes down in writing. That way your loved ones will know what you truly want.

Through open and candid conversations with loved ones, you can come up with a written plan called an Advance Directive, which accurately represents the individual’s preferences and thoroughly prepares others to make healthcare decisions consistent with these preferences. Working with a loved one to make these difficult decisions can also provide a sense of relief for the caregiver at not having to make a decision and hope it was the right one. Advance Care Planning is appropriate for any adult, even those who are young and healthy.

While these discussions can be difficult, especially when describing circumstances in as much detail as possible, what a gift it can be to know a person’s wishes – whatever they may be – can be honored to the greatest degree possible.

These meetings will promote person-centered Advance Care Planning conversations through exploration of understanding of the subject, past experiences, and living well. Participants will learn about the three important steps involved in Advance Care Planning and will be given resources to guide them through the process of completing an Advance Directive.

Other session topics will cover:

• Defining and discussing advance care planning 
• Choosing an advocate
• Exploring experiences, goals, values, and beliefs 
• Expressing preferences
• Sharing plans

There is no better time than the present to make sure you have plans in place. For more information, visit www.forresthealth.org/classes.

ABOUT FORREST HEALTH

Forrest Health is a system of healthcare organizations formed to increase access to quality health care in south Mississippi. Forrest General Hospital is its flagship hospital. In addition to Forrest General, Forrest Health hospitals include: Highland Community Hospital, Picayune; Jefferson Davis Community Hospital & Extended Care Facility, Prentiss; Marion General Hospital, Columbia; Pearl River County Hospital & Nursing Home, Poplarville; Perry County General Hospital, Richton; and Walthall General Hospital, Tylertown. Forrest Health is also home to The Orthopedic Institute and Institute of Neuroscience, both in Hattiesburg, as well as a variety of healthcare clinics throughout its 19-county coverage area.