Jennings gala for Our Hospice raises $65k 
WCSI 1010/98.1, Columbus, IN; Press Release; 2/11/26 
The 28th Annual Our Hospice Jennings County Gala last weekend raised $65,000 to support the organizations efforts in Jennings County. The gala is the Hospice’s largest annual Jennings County fundraiser. ... At Saturday’s event, [high-schoolers] Lillian Curry was named Gala Queen after raising $14,500, while Jake Birge was crowned Gala King, raising $3,700 in support of Our Hospice. Overall the king and queen’s court generated more than $33,000 in donations. More than 250 people attended the event, held at The Barn at Willow Lake in North Vernon.
Editor's Note: Bravo to these high schoolers, and to Our Hospice for engaging them in an intergenerational, meaningful event for hospice goodwill and support. 

Spread love: A community art project giving back to hospice 
MV Times, Martha's Vineyard, MA; by The Martha's Vineyard Times; 2/11/26 
Local artist M-C Lamarre has launched Spread Love, a participatory community art project benefiting Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard (HPCMV). Inspired by Valentine’s Day and collective grief, Lamarre invited Island community members to decorate baseball-card-sized blanks with drawings and messages of love. The completed cards are sold through art-vending machines placed around the Island, with all proceeds donated to HPCMV.

Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service closing its doors but other options are available to those in need 
Los Alamos Daily Post, Los Alamos, NM; by Kirsten Laskey; 2/12/26 
The closure of Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service (LAVNS) on Feb. 20 after more than 50 years of service marks the end of a significant chapter in Los Alamos. However, it is not the end of the story; there are still options available to those who utilized LAVNS’ services. LAVNS Clinical Manager Susan Edwards noted that there are several home health care and hospice options available.
Home Health Agencies: La Vida Bella Home Health & Hospice. Presbyterian Home Health.
Hospice: Ambercare. Red Willow. Roadrunner Hospice. Del Corazon Hospice.

El Paso's Veterans Cafe helps give community to those who served 
News*Talk 96.3 fm 1290 am; by Grizz; 2/12/26 
On a quiet Saturday, something special is happening over coffee in El Paso. Hospice El Paso’s Veteran Café is proving that sometimes the most powerful form of support doesn’t come from a clinic or an office, but from a shared table, a familiar story, and the simple act of being welcomed. The pop-up café, sponsored by Hospice El Paso, is designed specifically for veterans from all branches of service. While it may look like a casual coffee gathering on the surface, its purpose runs much deeper. The café offers veterans a place to connect, talk, laugh, and support one another in a low-pressure environment where no one is expected to have the right words or any answers at all.

Florida’s rigid drug policy leaves cancer patients in pain | Column 
Tampa Bay Times, Tampa, FL; by Deborah Schofield; 2/11/26 
Michelle was newly and suddenly diagnosed with stage IV cancer. She had pain every day. And in Florida, that made her suspicious. Despite a terminal diagnosis, ... [when] a prescription for Percocet was finally written, the reality of Florida's system came sharply into focus. Nine pharmacies - major national chains including CVS and Walgreens - told us they did not have the medication and could not say when they would. Nine. ... Eventually, hospice became involved. Only then did Michelle receive more consistent pain control. Yet even hospice was not immune to the system's failures. ... If Florida wants to lead on opioid policy, it must also lead on humanity. That means explicit protections for cancer and hospice patients, clearer regulatory distinctions between acute pain and end-of-life care, and accountability across pharmacy supply chains.

Unlocking leadership potential: Through self awareness with coach Sherry Winn | part one 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN) / TCNtalks; hosted by Chris Comeaux with Sherry Winn; 2/11/26 
In Part One of this conversation, Chris Comeaux is joined by leadership coach, former Olympic athlete, and longtime collegiate coach Sherry Winn for a deeply personal and practical exploration of leadership that begins from the inside out. ... Drawing from her Olympic experience and decades of coaching leaders in sports, healthcare, and corporate environments, Sherry explains why leaders cannot give what they do not have. She emphasizes that personal growth, emotional awareness, and intentional self-reflection are foundational to effective leadership—not optional extras.

Suffolk paramedic students participate in 1st clinical hospice-specific rotation 
Patch, Westhampton-Hampton Bays, NY; by Lisa Finn; 2/12/26 
In a groundbreaking new program, Suffolk County Community College paramedic students have begun participating in New York State’s first hospice-specific clinical rotation at the East End Hospice Kanas Center for Hospice Care in Westhampton Beach. As part of their program training, Suffolk students already complete more than 600 clinical hours in areas that overlap with emergency services, including emergency rooms, labor and delivery, and mental health, officials said. The new initiative introduces an unprecedented focus on hospice care within paramedic education, officials added.

Fidget blankets for hospice 
The Alpena News, Alpena, MI; by Staff; 2/12/26 
A commitment to easing the anxiety that often accompanies dementia encourages Diane Johnson to sew fidget blankets for Hospice of Michigan. Johnson started volunteering for Hospice, with offices in Alpena, about six years ago; four years ago, Kathy Leitaert, volunteer coordinator at the time, showed her an example of a small blanket/large placemat with various attachments that would encourage physical manipulation. In some cultures, worry beads are used to reduce stress, fidget blankets provide the same type of relief.

[Global] UCLA report reveals a significant global palliative care gap among children  
UCLA Health, Los Angeles, CA; by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Health Sciences; 2/10/26 
Nearly all the world’s 10.6 million children experiencing serious health-related suffering (SHS) live in low- and middle-income countries with little to no access to palliative care specialized care for their illness, according to a comprehensive new report published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. ... The findings reveal a dramatic shift: most children in need of palliative care now live longer with severe, chronic illness, fundamentally changing the type of services needed and extending the duration of these services. ...

Executive Personnel Changes - 2/13/26

• Care Synergy proudly welcomes Kristin Ann Keefe, MD, as its new Chief Medical Officer—"a physician leader whose career reflects a deep commitment to compassionate, high-quality hospice and palliative care."
  
  
• Homecare and Hospice of the Valley announced Dr. Kelli Konst-Skwiot as its new Medical Director in an effort to further strengthen the organization's commitment to patient-centered care for individuals and families across the Roaring Fork Valley, according to a news release.
  
  

• LifeTouch Health of North Little Rock has appointed Nikki Taylor, APRN-FNP-C, HEC-C, CADDCT, as Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, the company recently announced. Taylor replaces Anita Deal, RN, who recently retired. 

Enhabit and Encompass Health collect $43.1 million from individual defendants in Delaware fiduciary breach case 
BusinessWire, Dallas, TX; Press Release; 2/12/26 
Enhabit, Inc. announced that, along with Encompass Health Corporation, they have collected $43.1 million in full satisfaction of their claims for attorneys’ fees and mitigation damages in the Delaware Court of Chancery against former officer Chris Walker, Vistria Group senior partner David Schuppan, and Nautic Partners managing director Christopher Corey. These claims related to the December 2024 judgment in favor of Enhabit and Encompass Health, finding “egregious breaches of the duty of loyalty” by April Anthony, Luke James, and Walker while serving as senior officers at Encompass Health’s former home health and hospice division, which is now Enhabit. Enhabit and Encompass Health will divide the settlement proceeds substantially equally.

For persons grieving a loss this Valentine’s weekend: 
May sturdy bridges sustain you as you move between moments remembered and love that lives on.

Bonus: "Bridge" metaphors and meanings