129
WORKSHOPS
20+
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
1,942
COMMUNITY MEMBERS REACHED
3
SUPPORTED LANGUAGES
About the Campaign
The What Matters Most Campaign is our annual effort to help people take a first step in planning for future healthcare decisions before a crisis happens. Each year, we host community organizations, clinicians, public leaders, and our communities around one shared goal: helping more people begin the planning process in ways that are trusted, relevant, and easy to start.
The campaign is anchored each year by National Healthcare Decisions Day, observed every April 16. We mark the day with a public press conference, a community gathering, and workshops hosted by partners across the region. These events bring the conversation about what matters most into the places and relationships people already trust.
Why This Matters
Too often, people wait until a health crisis to think about who should speak for them or what kind of care they would want. By then, families are under stress and making difficult decisions without enough guidance.
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Advance care planning changes that. It is not just about paperwork. It is about having a voice in your healthcare, preparing the people who love you to advocate on your behalf, and making sure the care you receive reflects what matters most to you. Something as simple as choosing someone you trust to speak for you can make an enormous difference when it counts most.
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National Healthcare Decisions Day makes that first step more practical, personal, and accessible. For many people, the hardest part is simply getting started. This campaign helps.
Four Years of Community Action
The What Matters Most Campaign has grown year by year, rooted each time in a specific community and a trusted local organization.
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In our first year, we partnered with Self Help for the Elderly at Lady Shaw Senior Center in Chinatown, bringing the conversation about serious illness planning to Chinese older adults in the heart of their community. In year two we moved to the Bayview, partnering with Bayview Senior Services at the George Davis Senior Center to reach African American older adults there. In year three we were in the Mission at On Lok 30th Street Senior Center, where our press conference was covered by ABC7 News and Chinese language media, reflecting the growing public resonance of this work.
In 2026, for the first time, we took the campaign to the steps of San Francisco City Hall. Four years of growing momentum and a shared belief that planning for what matters most is not just a personal act. It is a community one.
This Work in Action
"Having these conversations is about making full, informed decisions while we are healthy and able. It is about choosing someone we trust to advocate for us, to be our voice when we cannot speak for ourselves. Today, I feel very responsible and committed to bring this message to my community, to help shift the mindset in a positive way and to encourage people to start a conversation, because planning is not just about healthcare. It is about dignity, respect, and making sure that your wishes are honored."
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Claudia Perez-Vaughan, Activities Coordinator and ACP Internal Champion, MNC Inspiring Success, speaking at our 2026 National Healthcare Decisions Day Press Conference
