ETHICS COMMITTEE

What is Ethics?

Simply put, ethics is an attempt to articulate the behavioral implications of being a decent human being.

– Rev. James A. O’Donahue, JCD, Ethicist

What is the Mission of the Ethics Committee?

The Mission of the Ethics Committee is to:

Support the Mission of Elizabeth Seton Residence and Marillac Residence: Our Mission calls us to provide compassionate and caring service and to create an atmosphere where all feel welcome and respected.

Offer guidance and support to caregivers, patients and families as issues arise in clinical situations, and to help them through the decision-making process.

Advise on policy and practice where ethical and moral decisions are involved.

Underlying Principles for Our Ethics Policies:

The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services is a document put forth by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops to provide strength and grounding as health care decisions are being made.

The directives deal with care of the sick, the importance of advance directives, consistent moral teaching, informed consent, including information about benefits, risks, side effects, consequences and cost of treatment alternatives, and the benefit/burden principle (ordinary/ extraordinary means.)

They also focus specifically on those situations which might arise in providing care for the dying. Catholic health care institutions strive to be communities of love and support, where residents are kept as free of pain as possible through alleviating medicine, at the same time avoiding the use of futile or burdensome technology that offers no reasonable benefit to the resident. The benefits of Palliative Care cannot be over-stated.

Who Belongs to the Ethics Committee?

In order to ensure a multi-disciplinary perspective, the Ethics Committee members include physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, administrators, social workers, chaplains and family members.

How to Request a Consult:

If a situation arises requiring the confidential involvement of the Ethics Committee, (e.g. end-of-life care, foregoing life-sustaining treatment) any of the following may be contacted:

Lori Ferrante, Executive Director & CEO
Elizabeth Seton Residence
lferrante@scalifax.org
781-997-1130

Erin Mahadeo, Director of Spiritual Care
Elizabeth Seton Residence
emahadeo@schalifax.org
781-997-1119

Jacob Brown, Executive Director
Marillac Residence
jbrown@schalifax.org
781-997-1103

Elizabeth Ekborg, Director of Spiritual Care
Marillac Residence
eekborg@schalifax.org
781-997-1108

We encourage you to take a virtual tour of our facilities.

Find out why the Elizabeth Seton Residence is simply different.
Schedule a visit or inquire about
admission by calling 781-997-1102.

Elizabeth Seton Residence
125 Oakland Street
Wellesley Hills, MA 02481-5338
Phone: 781-997-1100
Fax: 781-431-2589
elizabethseton.org