AdventHealth expands at-home hospice care in Haywood County, a breakthrough residents say
WLOS-13 ABC, Haywood Count, NC; by Chloe Adams; 8/5/26 
Residents and health leaders said AdventHealth's upcoming expansion of home-based hospice care in Haywood County comes at a critical time and will provide a level of care the community has been missing. The Certificate of Need approval comes after the State Health Coordinating Council determined that the county lacks sufficient hospice capacity to keep pace with the growing demand for end-of-life care, especially as the county experiences population aging, with residents over the age of 65, according to the 2026 Haywood County State Medical Facilities Plan.

Community foundation awards $25,000 grant to VNA Mobile Health Clinic 
Sebastian Daily, Vero Beach, FL; by Andy Hodges; 8/7/26 
The Indian River Community Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to the Visiting Nurse Association of the Treasure Coast’s Mobile Health Clinic to support its ongoing work bringing primary care and screenings to residents who face barriers to traditional medical settings. The check was presented July 28 at a ceremony that included representatives from the foundation, VNA leadership, Mobile Health Clinic staff and the VNA & Hospice Foundation.

Hospice physician: pain management growing more complex for families 
Hospice News; by James Warda; 8/7/26  
When a patient starts to receive hospice care, families often expect to focus on making memories, finding comfort and spending meaningful time together. However, many instead find themselves making frantic phone calls to multiple pharmacies, driving across town to locate medications, or waiting days for prescriptions that should be readily available, with a patient in need at home. According to the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s (AAHPM) Board of Directors Secretary, Dr. Michael Barnett, a hospice physician and former inpatient palliative care physician, this growing challenge is becoming an all-too-common part of end-of-life care.

Moral distress is the wound behind bedside care
KevinMD.com; by Amanda Dean, RN; 8/9/2026
A physician I follow on social media is an incredibly talented artist. He turns medical scenarios into cartoon sketches, as if they belong in a Sunday newspaper instead of on a telephone screen. One of his recent renderings depicted the typical ICU patient: intubated, sedated, and surrounded by machines. Standing beside the hospital bed were two individuals with captions over their heads saying, “Look at all of this! This is torture! He is suffering!” An identical image was placed by its side, the only difference being the captions overhead. This time they read, “Look at all of this! What amazing care! He’s getting everything!” The images invited almost 200 comments, ranging far and wide along the opinionated spectrum. ...

Spiritual aspects of palliative and end-of-life care: highlights - compiled by by Barry R. Ashpole 
ehospice; by The International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care; 8/10/26 
The International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care's literature search is intended as an advocacy, research, and teaching resource for colleagues who have a special interest in palliative and end-of-life care. Its goal is to keep its readers abreast of “current thinking” and also of emerging or related issues. ... The current posting focusses on the spiritual aspects of palliative and end-of-life care.

• European Association for Palliative Care White Paper on Spiritual Care for People with Neuro-oncological and Neurodegenerative Conditions: Integrative framework for practice, education, and research ...
• Trends in spirituality and spiritual care in nursing: A discursive paper ...
• Spirituality and palliative care: International models and new perspectives ...
• Exploring spirituality in palliative care services: An All-Ireland survey ...

Everett hospice workers concerned for patient care after private equity takeover 
HeraldNet, Everett, WA; by Jenna Peterson; 8/8/26 
Home health and hospice workers in Everett are raising concerns that a recent management change is jeopardizing their ability to administer quality patient care. In 2024, Providence Swedish announced a “joint venture” with Compassus, a home health company backed by private equity and based in Brentwood, Tennessee. Now, the organizations operate as “Providence at Home with Compassus,” providing home health and hospice services in the western United States.  ... ... [Since] the joint venture went into effect 15 months ago, more than 60 employees have left the Everett location, not including those who have retired, said Milli Palmer, a licensed practical nurse and a member of the union’s executive board. The location has historically been home to about 200 employees, Palmer said. Union members say staff have left largely because of unsustainable patient load requirements and fear of losing their licenses. Throughout Washington, employees have filed dozens of complaints with federal and state agencies regarding what they say are inadequate patient care, wage theft and unsafe practices.

Hospice acquisitions by certain firms and corporations were associated with reductions in care intensity, 2010–21 
Health Affairs; by Jiebing Wen, Alexander Soltoff, Mark A. Unruh, David G. Stevenson, and Robert Tyler Braun; 8/3/26 
... We linked a national PE and PTC acquisition database to Medicare claims for a beneficiary sample for the period 2010–21 and used a difference-in-differences event study to compare acquired versus nonacquired for-profit hospices on process-based quality measures and Medicare reimbursement. After PE acquisition, registered nurse, social worker, and home hospice aide minutes per thirty days declined 5.14 percent, 12.32 percent, and 6.62 percent, respectively; after PTC acquisition, registered nurse and home hospice aide minutes per thirty days declined 4.63 percent and 9.09 percent. Declines in visit minutes also were observed in the last seven days of life. Reductions in visit minutes were driven by four large acquirers. These findings highlight the need for increased transparency and oversight policies, as well as payment reforms that align reimbursement with care intensity and quality.

The top hospitals by state, per Forbes 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Molly Gamble; 7/29/26 
Forbes rated the country’s hospitals state by state for 2026, with 259 earning the top mark of five stars. The Forbes Top Hospitals by State list, published July 14, draws on the national Forbes Top Hospitals 2026 ratings, which score general acute-care hospitals on measures pulled from the CMS Provider Data Catalog across four areas: patient outcomes (weighted at 55%), hospital best practices (20%), value (15%) and patient experience (10%). Each hospital lands on a single Forbes Overall Hospital Quality Rating of one to five stars.

Why AI works best when it works with humans
Harvard Business Review; 6/1/26
Despite the big promise of AI, only 5% of AI implementations deliver measurable business returns, according to a recent study by MIT. Rarely is the problem the technology. More often, AI efforts fall short because leaders overlook the critical role humans play in the system. AI is a tool. Like other tools, AI operates best when people understand how to use it, trust it, and can integrate it into the way they already work.
Publisher's note: Thank you Ernesto Lopez for drawing our attention to this article. He notes, "Trust, context, judgment, and accountability are not optional in healthcare. AI can absolutely create value, but only when it is designed and built around the people doing the work every day."

Influencer Sydney Towle's final message before death was a powerful reminder to 'choose kindness'
Big News Network; 8/7/26 
The death of popular influencer Sydney Towle has left her family, friends and followers heartbroken. According to PEOPLE magazine, the 26-year-old content creator, who openly shared her battle with a rare form of cancer on social media, passed away on August 5. Before her death, she left behind a simple but powerful message about kindness and compassion.

Avoiding 3 risk factors in midlife could add 13 dementia-free years 
Medical News Today; by Amy McLean; 8/5/26 
[For you own health and well-being:] Researchers analyzed data in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, a cohort study that began in 1987. They examined the data of 12,409 participants. They assessed three risk factors, which the ARIC study consistently measured:

• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• smoking
• diabetes.

Participants were followed over a median of 26.3 years. In that time:

• 3,008 people developed dementia
• 5,238 people died without developing dementia.

Individuals with no risk factors for dementia had the lowest risk of developing the condition. In contrast, those with all three risk factors were 2.69 times more likely to develop dementia.

Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. ~ John Wooden