California’s End of Life Option Act was passed on October 5, 2015 and entered into effect June 9, 2016. The law allows mentally capable, terminally ill patients to request “Aid-in-Dying” — a prescription for a medication that will end their life at their own chosen time.

Lonny Shavelson, MD, founded Bay Area End Of Life Options in response to the new law. In June of 2017 he added Dr. Linda Spangler, MD as practice partner, and Thalia DeWolf, RN, Hospice Nurse, as Clinical Practice Coordinator.

Drs. Shavelson and Spangler and the Bay Area Option Team are available as:

•  Attending or Consulting physicians for patients considering all end-of-life options, including physician aid in dying. We most commonly work with patients whose long-term physicians are not willing or able to work with aid-in-dying requests.
• Consultants and educators to physicians who have patients considering aid-in-dying as one of their end-of-life options.