MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIAMedical aid in dying in Marin County.
Compassionate, unhurried support for families from Sausalito to Novato — with home visits across the county by a triple board-certified palliative care physician.
SERVING MARIN FAMILIESIf you or someone you love in Marin is facing the end of life, you don't have to navigate medical aid in dying alone — or leave home to do it.
I come to you. Most of my work with Marin families happens in the home, wherever you are in the county, so the process stays calm, private, and on your terms. I coordinate the medical and legal steps, and I can work alongside your Marin hospice team or primary doctor, or arrange everything myself.
I'm Dr. Claritza Ríos, a palliative care and hospice physician offering medical aid in dying in Marin and across the Bay Area.
I help people who are dying, and the people who love them, navigate the end of life with clarity, dignity, and real support.
This is a safe, unhurried place to understand your choices.
The process, handled for you.
HOW IT WORKS IN MARINCalifornia's End of Life Option Act sets the steps. I take on the paperwork, coordination, and reporting so your family doesn't have to.
1.
We talk. I listen, answer questions, and we figure out together whether this is the right path.
2.
The formal requests. California law requires specific steps, including a written request and a required waiting period between requests.
3.
A second physician. The law requires a second provider to confirm eligibility. I can arrange this for you, or work with your own doctor.
4.
The prescription. Once everything is in place, I write the prescription; you fill it at the pharmacy which costs approximately $700.
5.
When and whether. You decide if and when to take it. If you'd like, I can be present, or coordinate with a trained death doula team for bedside support.
LOCAL RESOURCES Marin end-of-life support.
You don't have to choose between MAID and other care. Here's how I fit alongside the support already available in Marin.
Working with your hospice
I collaborate with Marin hospice and home-health teams so medical aid in dying sits within your existing care, not apart from it.
Home visits countywide
From the Sausalito waterfront to Novato and West Marin, I travel to you. Same-week visits are often possible — timing is usually families' first question.
Death doula support
I can coordinate with a trained death doula team for hands-on, bedside presence alongside my care.
COMMON QUESTIONS Marin, Specifically
-
Yes. It's legal across California under the End of Life Option Act, which of course includes Marin. I see families throughout the county, and part of my role is helping you understand whether the eligibility requirements apply to your situation.
-
All of it — Southern Marin (Sausalito, Mill Valley, Tiburon, Belvedere), the Ross Valley (San Anselmo, Fairfax, Ross), the Highway 101 corridor (Larkspur, Corte Madera, Greenbrae, San Rafael, Novato), and out to West Marin and the coast. If you're in the county, I can come to you.
-
Yes, and most people prefer it that way. This work belongs somewhere that feels safe, and for most Marin families that's home. I can handle some early steps by video to save you the wait, then come to you for the parts that matter most.
-
No. The visits, the required second physician, and the prescription can all be arranged here in the county, with the pharmacy dispensing or delivering to you. You won't need to travel to San Francisco or elsewhere.
-
Absolutely. Medical aid in dying sits alongside that care, not instead of it, and I'll coordinate with whatever team you already have.
-
That's common, and it's okay. Participation is voluntary for providers, and larger systems — Kaiser, Sutter, MarinHealth — may set their own policies. I can serve as your outside attending physician so a "no" from one place never leaves you without a path.
-
Yes. I'm bilingual and provide the entire process, and all of our conversations, in English or Spanish — whichever feels most like home for you and your family.
-
Because I'm based in the Bay Area, I can often begin within the same week; California does require a short waiting period between requests, which I'll walk you through. On cost, I keep a sliding scale and discuss fees directly and privately, with a separate pharmacy cost for the medication itself — nothing will be a surprise.
However you found me, I'd be glad to hear from you.
WHEN YOU'RE READYWhether you're facing this yourself or caring for someone you love — reaching out doesn't commit you to anything.