Community Bioethics and Aging Center (CBAC)

As part of the Hope and Healing Center & Institute (HHCI) mission of “transforming lives, restoring hope,” the Community Bioethics and Aging Center (CBAC) has been established to address the myriad of issues faced by all of us as we age.

We provide health care ethics consultation, supportive services, education, and research on aging and ethics issues.

General Services

– Health care ethics consultation to help individuals and families to address questions regarding treatment options for serious or terminal illnesses.

– Education regarding health care ethics is available to pastors, medical professionals, and community members.

– Informational programs on aging are available to the public and for professionals and lay people, including general aging issues such as health care, legal, living, and financial, as well as specific concerns such as advance care planning, caregiving, and mental decline.

– Support groups and individual coaching on aging and grief issues.

– Several research projects addressing doctor/patient communication, community dialogues, and nurse empowerment are in place or being considered.

Health Care Ethics Committee

Medical care continues to become more complex, and it is sometimes difficult to understand different treatment options, especially when facing a serious illness. What would you do if you were asked to make a treatment decision for someone who is not able to speak for themselves?

If you are in the hospital, there are many resources, including the ethics committee or ethics consultation service. If your loved one is not in the hospital, it may be difficult to understand all the treatment options. In response, we are forming a community health care ethics committee to serve as a resource for people facing serious illnesses.

If you or your loved one needs help in considering the ethical aspects of health care treatment options, please contact us. Our health care ethics committee consists of more than twenty people from various walks of life, including doctors, nurses, clergy/chaplains, social workers, and lay persons. Representatives from the committee will meet with you and your family members to consider the information that you have been given. The services we provide are strictly advisory – you and your family will still make all health care decisions but with additional insights, it may make this process easier for you.

*This service will be available starting in January 2019.