HHS Job Cuts: FDA, CDC, NIH and CMS impacted amidst significant restructurings 
JD Supra; by Cate Baskin, James Kim, Stuart Pape, Angela Powers, Ryan Thurber; 3/31/25 
On March 27, 2025, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a “dramatic restructuring” that will result in a reduction in agency workforce combined with significant internal restructuring. ... In connection with this restructuring, the Administration announced the following changes:

• Creation of the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), which will consolidate ...
• Transfer of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC);
• Creation of a new Assistant Secretary for Enforcement ...
• Merging the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) ...
• Reorganizing the Administration for Community Living (ACL) programs that support older adults and people of all ages with disabilities into other parts of HHS; and
• 10 HHS Regional Offices will be consolidated into 5.

... Healthcare providers and other organizations that rely on regular interaction with HHS and its subagencies should be on the lookout for disruptions or delays in service as HHS implements these cuts and departmental reorganizations. [Continue reading ...]

Widespread firings start at federal health agencies including many in leadership 
NPR - All Things Considered; by Rob Stein, Sydney Lupkin, Selena Simmons-Duffin, Joseph Shapiro, Carmel Wroth, and Yuki Noguchi; 4/1/25 
The Trump administration began sending notices of termination to thousands of staffers at federal health agencies Tuesday [4/1/25], according to interviews with employees and officials at multiple agencies and e-mails reviewed by NPR. The Department of Health and Human Services last week announced it planned to dismiss 10,000 people. These cuts come on top of around 10,000 people already leaving the agencies under the Trump administration's Fork in the Road offer and early retirement. Termination emails went out Tuesday morning to employees and leadership of agencies within HHS, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as several smaller agencies. Many of those workers only found out they had been fired when they tried to badge into the building after waiting in line and couldn't get in, NPR learned from multiple sources at HHS. ... Agency staff and leaders in the field say the cuts are a blow to public health, medicine and biomedical research in the U.S. [Continue reading ...] 

20 leadership behaviors that undermine trust—and how to restore it 
Forbes; by Expert Panel for Forbes Coaches Council; 3/27/25 
Trust is the cornerstone of effective leadership, yet even the most well-intentioned executives can inadvertently weaken it. ... Here, members of Forbes Coaches Council share 20 common ways leaders unintentionally compromise trust with teams, along with strategies to restore it.

1. Failing To Ask The Team About Team-Related Matters ...
2. Thinking About What To Say Next Instead Of Listening ...
3. Disrespecting The Team’s Time ...
4. Lacking Involvement And Presence With Teams ...
5. Behaving Unethically ...
6. Not Aligning Their Actions With The Expectations Set ...
7. Physically Or Emotionally Disengaging From The Team ...
8. Maintaining A One-Size-Fits-All Approach To Leadership ...
9. Displaying Superiority; Losing Composure ...
10. Micromanaging Tasks, PR And Team Interactions ...
11. [Continue reading ...]

Transforming healthcare: Hospice in the news, March 2025  
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); pod/videocast by Chris Comeaux with Cordt Kassner; 4/2/25 
In this episode of TCNtalks, Chris Comeaux and Dr. Cordt Kassner, Publisher of Hospice & Palliative Care Today and CEO and Founder of Hospice Analytics, leverage their data and extensive experience to identify key Hospice headlines, articles, research, and social media posts that are driving change and transforming end-of-life care and healthcare in America. They share personal experiences with hospice care, emphasizing the importance of social work and discussing the challenges of healthcare reimbursement.  The conversation also touches on MedPAC recommendations, new social media trends, and highlights from recent research articles. 

‘Unsung backbone of care delivery’: The growing need for hospice aides 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/28/25 
As workforce shortages persist in health care, some operators are struggling to recruit and retain essential members of their care teams — hospice aides. The demand for hospice aides is expected to grow in the coming years. However, factors such as turnover, retirement, slow wage growth and immigration policy could complicate hospice’s ability to fill those positions. Many companies are focused on bolstering their nursing workforce, who are also in high demand, but providers also need to prioritize hiring a sufficient number of aides, according to Cooper Linton, associate vice president of Duke HomeCare & Hospice. [Continue reading ...] 

Moffitt Cancer Center to offer inpatient hospice 
Becker's Hospital Review, Tampa, FL; by Elizabeth Gregerson; 3/31/25 
Tampa, Fla.-based Moffitt Cancer Center has partnered with Clearwater, Fla.-based Empath Health to offer inpatient hospice services. Moffitt care teams will continue to care for patients while nurses from Suncoast Hospice of Hillsborough in Tampa, part of Empath Health, will ensure inpatient hospice care criteria is met. Moffitt’s palliative medicine team will also “collaborate closely” with the hospice care team ... Moffitt CEO Patrik Hwu, MD, prioritized partnering with a hospice agency two years ago, the release said. “One of the biggest benefits of this partnership is the option for patients and their loved ones to transition from curative treatment to receiving compassionate end-of-life care while they continue maintaining relationships with their care team at Moffitt,” Kerry Hoerner, BSN, RN, senior vice president of Empath Health’s hospice division, said in the release. [Continue reading ...]

How this thrift shop helps Virginia families in their time of need: 'They’re good people here' 
CBS-6 News - Richmond, Petersburg, VA; by Wayne Covil; 3/31/25 
The regulars who frequent Crater Community Hospice Thrift Shops were busy browsing for bargains on Monday. They know that some of the money they spend here goes back into their community. Crater Community Hospice runs the stores as a way for the nonprofit to raise much-needed funding. "The money we bring in to our stores goes directly to caring for our patients," Zach Holt, with Crater Community Hospice, said. "I don’t want to ever say no to a patient. I don’t want to ever say no to a patient’s need." Krystal Mansfield told CBS 6 there was a reason she chose to shop at Crater Community Hospice Thrift Shops. "[It] was a big part of my grandmother's end of time, and they took very good care of her in her last days," Mansfield said. ... Angie Dowdy shared a similar story. ... [Continue reading ...]

Voices of Inspiration at the Dignity Health Arena 
NBC KGET-17, Bakersfield, CA; by Joshua Eyraud; 3/31/25 
Hoffmann Hospice is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025, and on Thursday night they brought in some star power. Hoffmann held its annual Voices of Inspiration dinner at the convention center in downtown Bakersfield on March 27. It featured a very special guest speaker – Third generation Nascar driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who retired in 2017, was the special guest speaker for the evening. ... Beth Hoffmann says it’s easy to see why Earnhardt Jr. was the perfect fit for this event. “We are a Nascar community, so that was kind of easy. I read his book and and that was phenomenal,” said Hoffman. “He’s just a man that perseveres, he’s committed to his goals, his mom had hospice and he was voted like 15 times the favorite of drivers, the most friendly.”

Hospices must ‘evolve’ to better support next generation of caregivers 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 3/31/25 
Individuals in the millennial and generation Z (Gen Z) age groups represent a swelling proportion of today’s family caregivers. They face unique challenges when providing support for hospice patients compared to others, recent research has found. ... Understanding the competing, complex priorities of these generations is pivotal for hospices’ ability to deliver quality care, according to Nicole McCann-Davis, senior client advisor and research director at Transcend Strategy Group. [Continue reading ...]

1 Red flag that reveals bad leadership fast: One clear sign can tell you a lot about whether someone is leading well or failing miserably. 
Inc., by Marcel Schwantes; 3/28/25 
Bad leadership isn’t always obnoxious, toxic, or obvious. Sometimes it shows up in small, everyday moments—how someone talks to their team, how they handle mistakes, or how they treat people when no one’s watching. You don’t need a long list to spot it, either. A few clear signs can tell you a lot about whether someone is leading well … or just holding the title. ... Here is one quick way to recognize bad leadership before it does real damage: a lack of patience ... [Continue reading ...]
Editor's note: For more from Marcel Schwantes, "1 Clear sign you're a great leaders (and your employees won't leave) - It's hard to walk away from bosses exhibiting this leadership (and human virtue)": ... Integrity is a daily choice. ... 

Experiences of family caregivers of children aged 1–23 months who have received pediatric palliative care: A systematic review with qualitative metasynthesis 
Sigma Global Nursing Excellence - Journal of Nursing Scholarship; by Juan Manuel Vázquez Sánchez, Manuela Rodríguez Sánchez, Emilio Mota Romero, Ana Alejandra Esteban Burgos, Rafael Montoya Juárez, César Hueso Montoro, Daniel Puente Fernández; 4/1/25 
This study underscores the importance of addressing the unique needs of family caregivers of children aged 1–23 months receiving pediatric palliative care (PPC), highlighting their struggles with social isolation, neglected self-care, and disrupted family life. Healthcare providers should prioritize age-specific approaches to PPC, focusing on improving communication, care coordination, and understanding of palliative care principles to better support these caregivers. [Continue reading ...] 

The most personal column I’ve ever written 
The Times, United Kingdom; by Professor Tanya Byron; 3/31/25 
... This column will be more personal than any other I have written in my now 20 years writing for The Times. I write it four days after my sister Katrina and I lost our beloved mum, Elfie, who ... had advanced end-stage dementia. Where do we start when trying to describe the many moments of heartbreak and the challenges that come with the long goodbye we have faced with our parents? Dementia is unpredictable. We say goodbye more than once and so the pain of bereavement does not begin at the time of death. Instead it is a prolonged pain marked by gradual losses. Watching a loved one slowly fade away over months or years brings grief, exhaustion and deep emotional turmoil. Amid all this is the experience of being on a rollercoaster of loss and hope, an experience that creates huge lurches between perceptions and emotions. There are moments of clarity and regression, ... [Continue reading ...]

Federal legislation would mandate hospice education upon hospital discharge 
McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 4/2/25 
A bill under consideration in Congress would require hospitals to educate patients about hospice care options upon discharge. HR 2437, introduced Thursday [3/27] by Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN), would amend Medicare policy to mandate that hospitals “provide information on available hospice programs to certain individuals upon discharge,” according to the bill. Although hospitals are not necessarily required to provide patients with information on available hospice programs upon discharge, they are encouraged to do so. [Continue reading ...]

Healthcare data breaches average $11M per incident: Report 
Becker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 3/28/25 
Cyberattacks have hit 78% of U.S. healthcare organizations, with the average cost of a breach soaring to $11 million per incident — largely due to ransomware attacks — according to a March 28 report from Black Book Market Research. Black Book Market Research, a technology survey organization, released findings from its first-quarter 2025 Global Healthcare Cybersecurity Survey, which gathered responses from more than 1,200 healthcare administrators worldwide. Participants were sourced through LinkedIn professional groups. The study revealed a sharp rise in cybersecurity threats targeting EHRs and patient data. [Continue reading ...] 

Palliative Care ECHO on health system strengthening: Advancing global collaboration and integration 
ehospice; by Mark Stoltenberg, Clayton Richards, Chris Piromalli; 3/24/25
The World Health Organization (WHO) Working Group on Palliative Care has introduced an innovative digital initiative utilising the ECHO Model to enhance global collaboration in palliative care. Officially launched on March 5, 2025, this programme will facilitate knowledge exchange and promote best practices for the integration of palliative care into health systems worldwide. The ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Model connects healthcare professionals globally in virtual communities of practice to support contextualised implementation of best-practice care through mentorship and guided practice.  [Continue reading ...]

I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve. ~ Albert Schweitzer