This global healthcare lesson could change America | part two
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Mark Stoltenberg; 7/24/26 
In Part Two of this compelling conversation, Chris Comeaux continues his discussion with global palliative care physician Dr. Mark Stoltenberg, exploring how healthcare systems around the world are addressing suffering, building trust, and delivering compassionate care in ways that challenge long-held assumptions in the United States. Drawing on firsthand experiences from countries including India, Rwanda, Kenya, Colombia, Brazil, Jamaica, Uruguay, and Costa Rica, Dr. Stoltenberg reveals why the most transformative innovations in healthcare may not come from technology alone—but from human connection, community partnerships, and a deeper understanding of what patients truly need. 

Poverty level affects end-of-life care in adolescent and young adult cancer patients  
Cancer Therapy Advisor; by Liam Andrew DAvenport, MA; 7/24/26 
Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients from high-poverty neighborhoods face disparities in end-of-life (EoL) care, according to research published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. AYA patients from high-poverty neighborhoods have more emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and less hospice use, than their low-poverty counterparts, study researchers reported. ... Eligible patients had been diagnosed with cancer and died between 12 and 39 years of age, and were enrolled in one of the participant health systems for more than 90 days prior to their death. 

National Alliance for Care at Home welcomes Denis Fleming Jr. as Chief Government Affairs Officer  National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA; Press Release; 7/23/26 
The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) today announced longtime industry leader Denis Fleming Jr. will serve as Chief Government Affairs Officer effective August 10. Fleming is a distinguished government affairs leader bringing over two decades of experience spanning key leadership roles in Congress, with state executive bodies, and major home health and hospice companies. Most recently, Fleming served as Vice President of Federal Government Affairs with United Health Group after serving 8 years as Senior Vice President & Legislative Counsel, State and Federal Affairs at LHC Group, where he led federal and state advocacy for this national home health and hospice provider. 

Keyser Campus nursing students use VR to assist in training 
West Virginia University School of Nursing; Press Release; 7/22/26 
When students in the WVU School of Nursing Keyser Campus program start classes this fall, they will be aided and assisted by the latest technology that will allow them to explore human anatomy with a view from the inside out. Future nurses at WVU Potomac State College will be assisted in their clinical and lab studies with the use of sophisticated Virtual Reality equipment – state-of-the-art goggles that, through AI technology, allow the wearer to experience conditions, symptoms, and even assess and possibly diagnose conditions within the human body. ... It brings students — albeit digitally — into an autopsy examination, an open heart surgery, or even bedside with a child in the ER getting fitted with a cast for a broken leg.

Hospice of Wichita Falls awarded grant for upcoming childhood grief awareness event 
KAUZ-6 CBS, Wichita Fall, TX; by Spencer R. Smith; 7/24/26 
Hospice of Wichita Falls announced that they have been awarded a 2026 Grief Reach Grant. As part of the grant, Hospice of Wichita Falls will host Growing Through Grief: Advancing Compassionate Care for Grieving Children, a free professional symposium ... The grant was given to increase awareness of childhood grief and strengthen community support for grieving children and their families, and was funded by the New York Life Foundation and managed by the National Alliance for Children’s Grief. 

Private equity’s joint venture takeover of nonprofit healthcare 
Private Equity Stakeholder Project; Report; 7/6/26 
Behind nonprofit partnerships, private equity firms are building a growing footprint across hospitals, hospice, rehabilitation, and outpatient care. Over the past decade, private equity has dramatically expanded its presence across the healthcare system. While much of the public attention has focused on traditional acquisitions of hospitals, physician practices, nursing homes, and other providers, private equity firms are increasingly pursuing another strategy: joint ventures with nonprofit health systems. PESP’s new report examines how these partnerships have become an increasingly important avenue for private equity-backed healthcare companies to expand across hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, hospice, home health, behavioral health, and other sectors.

OpenAI says AI models went rogue during testing, triggering ‘unprecedented’ breach at startup
NBC News; by Reuters; 7/21/26
OpenAI said that the breakout was “an unprecedented cyber incident, involving state-of-the-art cyber capabilities,” and that it was reinforcing its safeguards. OpenAI said on Tuesday [7/21/26] that an autonomous agent powered by its advanced artificial intelligence models went rogue during a security test and triggered a hack that compromised the infrastructure of AI startup Hugging Face last week. The ChatGPT creator was testing capabilities of some of its most advanced models in a controlled environment, but the agent escaped containment, reached the internet and broke into Hugging Face to satisfy its testing goal.
Publisher's note: Just a reminder about the importance of ethical, safe guardrails when using AI - especially when using autonomous applications.

Navigating AI & change management: the evolving landscape of leadership in the age of continuous disruption 
Recruit-Talent.com | Leadership & Management; 7/24/26|
... The Dawn of AI Change Leadership: Redefining Transformation
AI change leadership is defined as the practice of facilitating the adaptation of individuals, teams, and entire organizations to the relentless pace of AI-driven transformation. Unlike traditional change management, which typically focuses on discrete initiatives with defined endpoints, AI change leadership grapples with ongoing technological disruption, the dynamic evolution of workforce skills, the complex interplay of human-AI collaboration, and escalating concerns surrounding trust and ethical implications. For decades, leadership research has underscored a fundamental tension inherent in successful change: the coexistence of stability and change. ... However, AI change leadership fundamentally disrupts this established paradigm. 

Clinicians are using AI without guidance. What are the risks?
HealthcareBrew; by Maia Anderson; 7/21/26
Unregulated AI use could leave healthcare institutions vulnerable to HIPAA violations, cyberattacks, experts say. There’s no longer a question of when AI will become a regular part of working as a clinician—it already is. A survey from healthcare AI platform Heidi Health found that 86% of clinicians surveyed use the technology daily or on a regular basis, often for administrative tasks like charting. However, more than 4 in 5 (83%) reported doing so without guidance from their employers. This could be leaving clinics, health systems, and other healthcare institutions vulnerable to HIPAA violations and cyberattacks, experts told Healthcare Brew.

Pierce County woman says scammers stole $117K as husband enters hospice care 
Fox 13, Seattle, WA; by David Rose; 7/23/26 
A Pierce County woman says she lost about $117,000 to an elaborate phone scam while caring for her husband in hospice, leaving her uncertain how she will pay her bills after the man she has cared for through years of declining health dies. Charlotte Tripp said the scam unfolded at what she describes as the worst possible time in her life. Her husband of 17 years, who has dementia, recently entered hospice care after suffering a rapid decline following hip surgery and a urinary tract infection. ... "Basically, he can go any day now," Tripp said. "I'm trying to concentrate more on my husband to give him the time he needs." Instead, she said she has spent hours dealing with banks, law enforcement and mounting financial problems after scammers convinced her to drain her accounts.

The business case for supporting the growing population of caregiver-employees — and how to do it 
McKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 7/22/26 
Caregiving no longer is just a personal or family issue — it’s increasingly a workforce, financial and health issue — but employers occupy a unique position in their ability to make a meaningful difference in the lives of their employees, according to two new reports. New research from the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research finds that unpaid family caregivers face greater financial strain, lower retirement confidence and more concern about future retirement risks than Americans who are not unpaid caregivers. Care.com also has released new research focusing on the challenges of caregivers in the sandwich generation, who face simultaneous challenges of caring for aging parents while also raising children. 

We can judge our progress by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers, our willingness to embrace what is  true rather than what feels good. ~ Carl Sagan