(5280) – More terminally ill Coloradans than ever are turning to Denver Health’s Medical Aid in Dying clinic. We spent the summer witnessing the quiet decisions and final moments of those who chose when—and how—to say goodbye.

Denver Health opened its MAID clinic in 2018, two years after Colorado’s law passed, deciding to fold the legislation into its mission to handle the region’s most complex medical cases. The clinic operates out of Denver Health’s outpatient medical center near downtown. The fourth-floor office has a couch and comfy chairs for patients and their families, though most consultations are done online to eliminate time-consuming and uncomfortable trips.

Any Colorado resident who qualifies for MAID can get care from the clinic, regardless of their ability to pay the $755 fee for two consultations and a prescription for the lethal dose of amitriptyline, diazepam, digoxin, hydromorphone, and phenobarbital that comes from one of the state’s compounding pharmacies. (Some physicians charge up to $3,000 for the same service.)

No physician in Colorado understands the realities of MAID better than Mason, who has written about 600 prescriptions since taking over as the clinic’s medical director in October 2020. (Read More)