Center for Health Statistics

CHS Site Directory:

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Washington State Death with Dignity Act

The Washington Death with Dignity Act, Initiative 1000, codified as RCW 70.245, passed on November 4, 2008. This act allows terminally ill adults seeking to end their life to request lethal doses of medication from medical and osteopathic physicians. These terminally ill patients must be Washington residents who have less than six months to live.

The Department of Health will collect reported data, ensure the quality of the data, and provide an annual statistical report. Our Center for Health Statistics will collect all of the forms sent by attending physicians and pharmacists. We will review these records and if any are inadequate or incomplete, we will contact the physician or pharmacist. The information collected by the agency is not public record and will only be released as summarized data in the annual statistical report.

• FAQs
• Forms
• Number of Forms Received
• Death Certificate Instructions
• Data Release (PDF, 47 KB)

In addition, the Washington State Hospital Association has a web page with helpful information concerning the Death with Dignity Act.