Resources

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in its annual publication Health, United States, provides a statistical overview of the nation's health. The NCHS periodicals National Vital Statistics Reports supply detailed U.S. birth and death data. The CDC reports on nationwide health trends in its Advance Data reports, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, Trends in Health and Aging, and Longitudinal Studies of Aging. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services report on the nation's spending for health care.

The U.S. Census Bureau publishes a wide variety of demographic information on American life. U.S. Interim Projections by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin incorporate the results of the 2000 census, and An Aging World: 2001 (2001) provides information on aging.

The Alliance for Aging Research promotes scientific research on human aging and conducts educational programs to increase communication and understanding among professionals who serve the elderly.

In 2004 Partnership for Caring and Last Acts merged to create Last Acts Partnership. This organization provided education, service, and counseling about end-of-life care. In 2005 Last Acts Partnership ceased its activities, and all rights and copyrights to material produced by Partnership for Caring, Last Acts, and Last Acts Partnership were obtained by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). NHPCO's mission is "improving end-of-life care and expanding access to hospice care with the goal of profoundly enhancing quality of life for people dying in America and their loved ones." NHPCO and the Hospice Association of America both collect data about hospice care.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) manages the national transplant waiting list, maintains data on organ transplants, and distributes organ donor cards. The primary purposes of the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) "are to operate and monitor an equitable system for allocating organs donated for transplantation; maintain a waiting list of potential recipients; match potential recipients with organ donors according to established medical criteria for allocation of organs and, to the extent feasible, for listing and delisting transplant patients; facilitate the efficient, effective placement of organs for transplantation; and increase organ donation." The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) evaluates the scientific and clinical status of organ transplantation in the United States. Valuable information on these topics is available in the 2005 OPTN/SRTR Annual Report.

The National Right to Life Committee can provide a copy of The Will to Live, an alternative living will, while Compassion and Choices (formed in 2005 from Compassion in Dying and End-of-Life Choices) provides news and bulletins on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act and other end-of-life legislation. The American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging publishes information related to advance directives.

For cancer statistics, a premier source is the American Cancer Society's annual Cancer Facts and Figures.

Journals that frequently publish studies dealing with life-sustaining treatment, medical ethics, and medical costs include Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Journal of the American Medical Association, the Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Gallup Organization, Harris Interactive, Polling Report, and Roper Center for Public Opinion Research have all conducted opinion polls on topics related to death and dying.

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation provides a wealth of information on Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance, prescription drugs, HIV/AIDS, and nursing homes.