Labor & employment lawyers, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, file suit against Sutter Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice, for underpayment of employees' wages 
Benzinga, Sacramento, CA; by PRNewswire; 2/12/26 
The Sacramento employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action complaint alleging that Sutter Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice violated the California Labor Code. The Sutter Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice, a class action lawsuit, Case No. 25CV029700, is currently pending in the Sacramento County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.

Hospice of Wichita Falls: Photos capture community supporting patients by donating blood 
Times Record News; by Naomi Skinner; 2/12/26 
... Donable Cares partnered with Hospice of Wichita Falls to host a community blood drive on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. A portion of the donations will go to support cancer patients. ...

Florida’s hospice system works because standards matter | Opinion 
News-Press; by Jaysen Roa; 2/13/26 
Key Points

• Florida's hospice system provides care in all counties through a competitive Certificate of Need process.
• Florida served more hospice patients with fewer providers than California, which has widespread fraud and coverage gaps.
• The state's strict standards require providers to prove community need, financial stability, and operational readiness.
• Proponents argue this rigorous system ensures high-quality care and prevents the fraud seen in less-regulated states. 

‘This place is love’: A prison unit for the dying — in pictures 
Prison Journalism Project; by Carla Canning and Eddie Herena; 2/11/26 
California Medical Facility’s hospice program aims to ensure no one dies alone. In 1996, a 17-bed, state-licensed hospice began caring for dying incarcerated men at California Medical Facility in Vacaville, ... At that time, the hospice unit mainly took care of patients dying of AIDS. Today, many of the patients housed there are dying of cancer, the leading cause of death in U.S. prisons. In June 2024, I visited the hospice unit on a reporting trip, along with Eddie Herena, a former  staff photographer for ... a prison in the Bay Area. We were there to understand what it was like to receive a terminal diagnosis while in prison. 

Hospice fundraiser exceeds expectations 
The Hawk Eye, Keokuk, IA; by John Gaines; 2/13/26 
The SCC Men’s Basketball saw a large crowd in support of the Pack the Gym in Pink fundraiser for the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice Monday night at Loren Walker Arena. The team had a big night with a 100-97 overtime win against Illinois Central College and the fundraiser also saw big numbers. The event raised $11,600. “That’s going to be a banner year for us,” said Trina Tucker Hospice volunteer coordinator. ...  There were 84 silent auction baskets, [along with] raffles, colorful pink swag, and people gave a free will donation to attend the game to add to the total money raised.

"Peaceful death is our goal": Music therapy and emotional catharsis with hospice therapist Yuzuko Degrottole 
Atwood Magazine; by Bella Bromberg; 2/4/26 
... Strapped to her back: A black guitar bag. In a satchel draped over her arm: An iPad containing lyrics to hundreds of songs. Yuzuko DeGrottole, originally from Japan, came to the U.S. in 2003 to study music therapy and earned a master’s degree at New York University. For over 15 years, she has worked as a creative arts therapist, performing primarily for hospice patients, encouraging them to sing along.

Unlocking leadership potential: Through self awareness with coach Sherry Winn | part two 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN) / TCNtalks; hosted by Chris Comeaux with Sherry Winn; 2/13/26 
If Part One of our conversation with Coach Sherry Winn challenged the way you think about leadership and self-awareness, Part Two goes even deeper—into the heart of who we are and who we’re becoming as leaders. In this powerful continuation of Unlocking Leadership Potential Through Self-Awareness, Coach Winn invites us to look beyond strategies and performance metrics and examine the internal patterns, beliefs, and identity that truly shape our impact. Because lasting leadership growth doesn’t begin with tactics—it begins within.

‘Important medicine’: Colorado Springs students share Valentine’s love with hospice patients 
The Gazette, Colorado Springs, CO; by Debbie Kelley; 2/12/26 
The kindergarten classroom of Lisa Henson and Serena Odierno was like a bouncy house of red and pink Wednesday, as third graders paired up with their kindergarten “reading buddies” at The Colorado Springs School and poured their young healthy hearts into creating valentines for sick patients of Abode Hospice of Colorado. The first-time project became a meeting of young and old souls, both of whom benefited from a dose of kindness that turned strangers into friends.

Aveanna CEO: Hospice multiples still too high 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 2/13/26 
As Aveanna Healthcare Holdings considers potential acquisitions, hospices are not on the menu due to their high price tags. Hospice multiples skyrocketed during the boom M&A years of 2019 through 2022, reaching as high a 26x, sometimes more. As transactions slowed down between 2023 and 2025, one contributing factor was a disconnect between sellers’ and buyers’ expectations regarding valuations. Now hospice deals are picking up steam. The fourth quarter of 2025 saw the industry’s highest deal volume since 2021, and one reason is that sellers’ and buyers’ expectations are becoming more aligned. However, this trend hasn’t yet gone far enough, according to Aveanna CEO Jeff Shaner. “[Hospice multiples] are all north of 10x. ..."

Private equity has ‘notable’ role in home health, hospice 
McKnights Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 2/13/26 
Private equity’s role in home health and hospice “remained areas of notable private equity investment activity” in 2025, according to a report by nonprofit watchdog organization Private Equity Stakeholder Project, published Wednesday. ... “The private equity business model, which uses high levels of debt with the goal of generating outsized returns for investors, can lead to harmful cost cutting practices that can exacerbate the already demanding and low-wage environment for private duty nurses,” PESP said. In 2025, the organization tracked 1,029 private equity-backed healthcare deals in the United States. Among them were 39 deals involving home health and hospice companies.

[United Kingdom] Valentine's Day dip raises £40,000 for hospice 
BBC News, Felixstowe, England, United Kingdom; by Jenny Kirk and Sharique Ahmed; 2/14/26 About 200 people have braved the winter temperatures and run into the North Sea off the Suffolk Coast, in aid of a local hospice. Felixstowe's rescheduled Christmas Day sea dip, for St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich, took place on the morning of Valentine's Day after originally being cancelled by bad weather. Ellie Main, from the hospice, called the dip a "local tradition" for the region, adding that a "significant" £40,000 had been raised so far. Emma and Gary came along with 10-year-old Millie from Ipswich, for their first winter dip. The family said they were "excited" and hoped to support the hospice that had cared for some family members.
Editor's Note: For perspective, Felixstowe's geographical latitude is about the same as Calgary, Canada: Cold. Bravo to this community for supporting their community's hospice.

The global need for paediatric palliative care: the evolution of serious health-related suffering in children aged 0-19 years from 1990 to 2023 
The Lancet - Child & Adolescent Health; by Julia Downing, Felicia Marie Knaul, Xiaoxiao Jiang Kwete, Héctor Arreola-Ornelas, Nickhill Bhakta, William E Rosa, Lukas Radbruch, Julia Ambler, Stephen R Connor, Jinfeng Ding, Megan Doherty, Rui Gong, Richard Hain, Rut Kiman, Eric L Krakauer, Michael J McNeil, Oscar Méndez-Carniado, Marina Morais, Mary Ann Muckaden, Tania Pastrana, Marianne Phillips, Hongliang Tao, Michael Touchton, Valentina Vargas Enciso, Paul Vila, Afsan Bhadelia; online ahead of print March 2026 
Our findings underscore the crucial need to expand access to high-quality palliative care services for children and adolescents, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our results also highlight the shift from decedent to non-decedent care needs associated with the substantial morbidity experienced by those living with their disease. Specific health-system policies to respond to the need for increased and higher-quality paediatric palliative care, especially interventions and medicines essential to address the unique palliative care needs of children, must be adequately funded to effectively reduce the avoidable burden of serious health-related suffering (SHS) among children.

One performance should never define anyone. A good one or a disappointing one. ~ Scott Hamilton, who won gold for the U.S. men's figure skating at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, posted on X. 

"Ilia Malinin is a class act and someone I greatly admire! As badly as I feel for him tonight, I know he will respond with strength, courage, and dignity. We all love you Ilia!" 

Editor's Note: After a difficult skate, Ilia Malinin received public encouragement from Hamilton, who called him “a class act” and expressed confidence he would respond with strength and dignity. Read Malinin’s own reflections, along with how Apolo Ohno praised his honesty. Figure skating blends athletic precision with artistry — and resilience. You fall. You rise. That, too, is excellence.