Dr. Ricardo Schwarcz launches healthcare sciences scholarship to support future medical leaders 
Newsnet Los Angeles, Harlingen, TX; by Dr. Ricardo Schwarcz Scholarship; 8/28/26 
The Dr. Ricardo Schwarcz Scholarship for Healthcare Sciences officially opens its application process, offering vital financial support to dedicated undergraduate students across the United States. Designed to foster the next generation of medical and allied health professionals, this scholarship initiative encourages aspiring clinical leaders to pursue their academic and professional ambitions in healthcare. Founded by Dr. Ricardo Schwarcz, a highly accomplished physician board-certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care Medicine, Neurocritical Care, Sleep Medicine, and Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, the program seeks to inspire students who display an enduring passion for patient-centered care.

Alliance Pediatric e-Journal: How cultural or religious differences affect care 
The National Alliance for Care at Home; by the Alliance’s Pediatric Advisory Council; multiple issues, most recent August 2026 
The Pediatric e-Journal is the world’s longest consistent pediatric palliative and hospice care publication, continuously published since 2002. ... Welcome to the 84th issue of our Pediatric e-Journal. The focus of this issue is on topics related to cultural or religious differences and how they affect pediatric hospice and palliative care. Cultural and religious differences are often deeply imbedded in the children, adolescents, and family members we serve, not to mention the professionals and volunteers who provide such services. In addition, they are the special province of chaplains and other clergy who help to provide pediatric hospice and palliative care.

District One Freemasons commit $50,000 to Aroostook Hospice Foundation Suite 1 dedication 
The County, Presque Isle, ME; by Aroostook Hospice Foundation; 8/30/26 
The Aroostook Hospice Foundation is pleased to announce a generous $50,000 commitment from the District One Freemasons in support of the Aroostook House of Comfort. ... David Basley, representing District One of the Freemasons, shared the significance of the commitment, “The decision made by the 1st District Freemasons to present a gift of $50,000 to the House of Comfort was an easy one for us. Since the facility first opened in 2018, we have had several members of our Masonic fraternity or family members experience the most compassionate end of life care offered by staff and volunteers. ..."

Week ahead in health care: MedPAC meeting with in-person audience 
Inside Health Policy; by Jessica Karins and Amy Lotven; 8/28/26 
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) will meet Thursday (Sept. 3) and Friday (Sept. 4) virtually and, for the second time since the COVID-19 pandemic, with limited in-person public seating.

[France] 'You cannot have a good assisted dying law without good palliative care’ 
GuardianTV; Press Release; 8/30/26 
François Picard is pleased to welcome Anne Reynaud, Board Member of the Association for the Right to Die with Dignity. France’s long awaited assisted dying legislation marks a profound shift in the country’s approach to end of life care, but as Reynaud makes clear, the parliamentary vote is less the end of a debate than the beginning of a new ethical and legal era. Speaking from both personal experience and her professional role, Reynaud argues that the law represents meaningful progress while remaining more restrictive than the recommendations of France’s Citizens’ Convention. 

Executive Personnel Changes - 8/28/26

• The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) announced that Calvin McDaniel will join the organization as Vice President of Strategic Engagement in late September.
  
  
• Midland Care in Topeka, KS has named Scott A. Paxton, DO as its new Hospice and Palliative Care Medical Director.
  
  
• LeadingAge has named Carey Candrian as their Senior Vice President of Research and Programs.

The sandwich generation confronts the caregiver crunch: Sonia’s story 
IndiaCurrents; by Snigdha Sen; 8/28/26 
The Indian American community is aging. As the U.S. faces a severe caregiver shortage, the community faces an even greater challenge: finding culturally and linguistically appropriate care. The Aging with Dignity project looks at efforts within and beyond the Indian community to help the "sandwich generation" care for aging parents. This is Part 1 of a three-part series.

'They took care of me too': HIA Heather's House marks 1-year, nearing 400 patients 
InForum | Fargo Forum, Fargo, ND; by Kevin Wallevand; 8/28/26 
Heather's House is celebrating its first year open, with nearly 400 patients receiving care through HIA so far this year. [HIA's Heather's House is North Dakota's first freestanding, inpatient hospice house. HIA had previously been known as Hospice of the Red River Valley before changing its name in June.] 
Editor's Note: Congratulations on this significant success. From an article we posted one year ago when they opened: "Ground was broken for the facility three years ago and administrative offices were moved into the building in February, but the dream began many years before that with hospice trailblazers Mary Lou Dahms, Sonia McManus and Edie Lohr." Be inspired by connecting-the-dots between their "dreams" and your own with today's "Today's Encouragement."

‘More than just a building:’ As Duke sells historic bereavement center, a town grapples with grief 
Duke Chronicle; by Dylan Halper; 8/26/26 
When Maria Peluso’s father died in April 2014, her family directed all donations to one place: a memorial brick, to be laid in his honor on a pathway near the Duke Hospice Unicorn Bereavement Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina. ... Over the ensuing years, the brick became a place of solace and learning for Peluso’s family. Before she died, Peluso’s mother often visited the site, and Peluso [a former Duke University Health System nurse and recipient of this center's bereavement counseling] said she brings her children and grandchildren — who never met her father — to the brick to teach them about his legacy. Underneath her father’s name and lifespan, the brick reads, “I will love you longer than forever.” But while the love of Peluso’s family will endure, the brick itself will be torn up as part of a redevelopment of the property encompassing the former Unicorn Bereavement Center and Duke Hospice at the Meadowlands. 

'Nobody should die alone': Emmanuel Hospice volunteer brings joy to patients in their final days 
WXMI Fox-17, Grand Rapids, MI; by Janice Allen; 8/28/26 
Bruce Koop spends time each week sitting with hospice patients in their final days, making them laugh, and making sure they don't feel alone. The Caledonia man volunteers with Emmanuel Hospice, where he brings companionship and comfort to patients. "At first I didn't know if I could do it, but after both that first or second patient, I could see the need for it," Koop said. The work is personal. Koop lost his mother in 2017. In her final weeks, she was cared for by Emmanuel Hospice.

California and the federal government battle over hospice fraud, as victims lose coverage and care 
Regional Media News, Los Angeles, CA; by wrnnews.com; 8/26/26
At 71 and a few years into retirement, Linda Henry felt like she was in good health, and only went to her doctor in Southern California for the occasional checkup. So it was a shock when she found out in 2024 that she had been enrolled in hospice, a specialized end-of-life care usually provided to people with six months or less to live. A Medicare worker told her the system said she had heart failure. Henry was a victim of rampant fraud in the hospice industry, a problem that’s been especially extreme in California, ... Henry believes her Medicare number was stolen after a healthcare payment portal that services insurances was hit by a cyberattack. She found out about her hospice enrollment in September 2024 after her doctor billed Medicare for an allergy test and was denied. Soon, other claims were being returned unpaid.

Those who love hiking are more intelligent, better looking, and generally more likable according to a study I just made up. (Happy Labor Day weekend :)