Patient Choices, Vermont Ethics Network tell House panel Act 39 use has risen; gaps remain in palliative care and hospice support

Patient Choices Vermont and the Vermont Ethics Network told the House Human Services Committee on Oct. 12 that more Vermonters and some out-of-state residents are asking about medical aid in dying since Act 39 was expanded, but gaps remain in community palliative care, hospice capacity and post-implementation data.

Patient Choices Vermont co-founder Betsy Walkerman and Executive Director Amy Bruce said inquiries and web traffic have risen in the past year. "Our website traffic after the passage of that law went up to 20,000 20-some thousand views per year," Walkerman said. Bruce said medical aid in dying "is a very important part of comprehensive end of life care," and that increasing awareness explains much of the higher demand.

The group reported roughly "a thousand a year" of people seeking information and said out‑of‑state use is likely in the low dozens, with many would-be out-of-state patients deterred by the practical difficulty of completing the process in Vermont. Walkerman and Bruce described a "Wayfinder" volunteer network that provides logistics and emotional support to people who travel here…