About Us

Vision and Mission

Coda Alliance is a collaboration of individuals and representatives in the San Jose "Silicon Valley," California area, from local hospices, hospitals, faith communities, universities, and elder care organizations. We welcome participants, individuals and organizations in Santa Clara County that share the goal to implement social change in end-of-life care. Our vision is a community where all people know what kind of end of life care they want and how to get it. Our mission is to provide you with practical skills and tools to plan and receive the care you and members of our community want at the end of life. We have a distinguished Board of Directors.

To fulfill our vision we:

• Help individuals and families discuss their values and goals for what it means to "live well" at the end of their lives, using Coda's Go Wish card game.
• Provide assistance on how to complete an advance health care directive.
• Conduct facilitated discussions on end-of-life care. We provide trained facilitators for our "Talking It Over" local discussion groups. We are actively seeking community groups (clubs, faith communities, support groups, etc.) to schedule and assemble discussion groups to "break the ice" and begin talking about end-of-life care at the grass-roots level in the community.
• Partner with various healthcare and faith based organizations and individuals that are interested in improving end of life care.
• Serve as a web-based information and education resource for the community on end of life concerns.

The final passages of life

Regarding our name, a "coda" is a passage at the conclusion of a piece of music, summing up preceding themes and bringing the piece to a satisfactory close. Coda Alliance is dedicated to improving care for our community members during the concluding passages off their lives. The usual course of the end of life follows one of three paths:

1. Some people have a new serious illness followed by a few weeks or months of being "terminally ill".
2. Some people live for years with daily disability and disease, with episodes of serious complications, but one of these complications turns out to be fatal.
3. Others live through a long period of total disability and dependance, such as from dementia or strokes, before dying.

Whatever the final passages of life, Coda's goals for care improvement are relief of pain and suffering, anticipation of complications, attention to personal values and preferences, caregiver support, spiritual peace, life closure, and culturally sensitive preparation for death. Coda Alliance is dedicated to promoting education and healthcare system change in Santa Clara County so that care for all three groups can achieve these goals, even for patients who are simultaneously seeking treatments to give them a longer life span.

Become a member 

Coda Alliance members work together to identify community needs, develop solutions from multiple perspectives and improve access to quality palliative care and end-of-life services. A member may be either an individual or an organization. A membership is $45.00. To become a member download out membership form.