Northern Counties Health delivers care, access over 50 years 
Caledoninan Record, Vermont; 3/27/26 
Northern Counties Health Care, Inc. is marking a golden milestone this year, celebrating five decades of providing primary care, dental care, and home health and hospice services across Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. The nonprofit traces its roots to a citizen-led effort to improve access to care and now operates a regional network designed around local needs. The organization’s origins date to 1976, when community leaders formed a board to continue the work of the Northern Counties Comprehensive Health Planning Council and established what became Vermont’s first federally qualified health center. ... The network today includes seven community health centers, two walk‑in primary care locations under the Northern Express Care banner, three dental centers, and a certified home health and hospice division.

Special Report - Untapped potential: The power of peer support programs in prisons 
John Howard Association of Illinois; project led by Kate Eves; March 2026 issue 
At the time this report was drafted, there were more than 70 Peer Support Programs (PSP) in U.S. carceral facilities identified in operation with a focus on improving health outcomes for incarcerated people with more new programs regularly coming to our attention, in addition to international programs. This project focused on 15 programs across 12 jurisdictions addressing a range of health and well-being areas including mental health, substance abuse and palliative care. [Use Ctrl+F and type "hospice" to find this report's 28 references to hospice.]

Expanded palliative care program in Dubuque addresses a 'significant need' 
Telegraph Herald; by Grace Burwell; 3/28/26 
A “meant to be” collaboration between two Dubuque providers is offering the local aging population expanded palliative support. UnityPoint Health-Finley Hospital and Hospice of Dubuque recently launched an expanded palliative care program, bringing three nurse practitioners to the Dubuque hospital. Lavonne Noel, executive director of Hospice of Dubuque, said the new resource sprung out of “more need than ever before. It’s more important than ever that we work together in the health care environment right now, so we’re excited to join forces and collaborate on this."

New program and book examine best practices around end-of-life care for people living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) 
Hospice Foundation of America, Washington, DC; by Lisa Veglahn;3/25/26 
Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) will present its 33rd annual Living with Grief® educational program, Best Practices in Hospice Care for Advanced Dementia, addressing optimal care for the fastest growing segment of the hospice population. The program will be held live via Zoom on April 14, 2026, from noon—2 pm ET. According to the National Institutes of Health, researchers estimate that 42% of Americans over the age of 55 will at some point develop a form of dementia, all of which are terminal illnesses. ... In addition to the upcoming program, HFA has published a new volume of scholarly and personal work, Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: A Guide for Hospice Clinicians, edited by Kenneth J. Doka and Amy S. Tucci. The book offers valuable insights and practical approaches to delivering compassionate, person-centered end-of-life care to individuals with dementia and their loved ones. 
Editor's Note: Hospice Foundation of America has long helped define standards for hospice education and once again leads at a pivotal moment as dementia shapes Baby Boomers’ end-of-life care. From early Living with Grief® satellite broadcasts—with companion publications—that convened professionals nationwide to today’s webinars, HFA has consistently translated complexity into practical, practice-changing insight. This work calls us to learn and to lead—with greater clarity, deeper skill, and a steadier compassion for those living with dementia and all who walk beside them.

Lost in transmission: Changes in organ donor status can fall through cracks in the system 
KFF Health News,  Akron News Reporter; by Céline Gounder; 3/29/26 
When Raven Kinser walked into a Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles office two summers ago, she completed a driver's license application that included the option to register as an organ donor. The form provides a checkbox to opt in, but not one to opt out. Kinser left the donor registration box unchecked, reflecting her decision to reverse an earlier donor registration. Six months later, after she was declared dead at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, Virginia, her parents say, they learned that her decision did not prevent organ procurement. Raven's case reveals a little-known gap in the U.S. donation system: There is no clear, nationally binding way to opt out or to ensure a later "no" overrides an earlier "yes" in a different state.

What caring for elderly parents really feels like and what people don’t talk about 
Sassy Sister Stuff; by Victoria Cornell; 3/29/26 
A simple Reddit prompt, “What’s something people don’t realize about taking care of elderly parents?”, turned into a raw, candid conversation in r/AskReddit.  ... Readers shared specific, sometimes heartbreaking stories and blunt advice, and the result is a clear picture of how caregiving is far messier than the Hallmark version we imagine.

• Medical surprises: little things that blow up into crises ...
• The emotional labor nobody warns you about ...
• Family secrets, denial, and those awful “I’m fine” moments ...
• Complicated pasts make caregiving excruciating ...
• System failures: understaffed care and financial strain ...

CMS Hospice Wage Index Panel: Key insights for access, staffing, and care delivery 
Abt Global | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid; by Michael Plotzke, T.J. Christian, Matt Knowles, and Anne St. George; meeting held on 9/10/25, report published 11/24/25
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released both a summary and technical report from its September 2025 Technical Expert Panel on the hospice wage index—offering a closer look at how geographic wage adjustments may evolve. Beyond methodology, the reports carry meaningful clinical and operational implications. Refinements to the wage index influence how resources are distributed across regions, shaping workforce capacity, interdisciplinary team stability, and ultimately patient access to timely, high-quality hospice care. For leaders, these findings underscore the connection between payment policy and bedside realities—particularly in rural and underserved areas where recruitment, retention, and care continuity remain fragile.

• Summary Report (PDF)
  
• Technical Report (PDF)
  

Guest Editor's Note, by Judi Lund-Person: The purpose of the TEP meeting was to seek feedback from panelists on a proposed alternative to the current hospice wage index, which would utilize new data sources. 

Mercer professors awarded grant to explore how to better support dying patients 
The Den; by Katerine Lybarger; 3/26/26 
Mercer University professors Caroline Anglim, Ph.D., and Paul Lewis, Ph.D., M.Div., have received a $60,000 Faith and Health Campus Grant from Interfaith America to expand both academic and public understanding of how faith, spirituality and health intersect. The initiative will aim to advance the concept of religion as a social determinant of dying well in the American health care system and include several components including curricular development, community partnerships and research.

Mike Schramm: 'The Pitt' and the doctrine of double effect 
1819 News, Birmingham, AL; by Mike Schramm; 3/27/26 
... In season two [of The Pitt], episode eight, Drs. “Robby” and McKay begin a conversation about a patient with terminal cancer in agonizing pain who is nearing death. “Where are we with the morphine?” Robby asks, suggesting they raise the dosage. After being told (surely for the viewers) “she could stop breathing,” he gestures and asks, “Are you familiar with the doctrine of double effect?” ... “We treat pain,” Robby explains. “And if, in doing so, there’s a negative side effect, we accept it.” “Even if the negative side effect is death?” McKay asks. While this might seem intuitive to some, its history and reasonability cannot be taken for granted. This doctrine of double-effect basically affirms that a good or neutral action may be morally undertaken in good conscience, even if one knows that a secondary bad result will occur from that action.

The demoralization of America's doctors 
Straight Arrow News; by Jess Craig; 3/30/26 
Key takeaways:

• Insurance companies often prioritize financial considerations over patient needs, leading to delays in care and potentially harmful outcomes.
• The U.S. health care system has shifted towards prioritizing profits, with insurance companies, private equity firms, and administrative burdens playing a significant role in shaping care delivery.
• Physicians and nurses are facing increasing burnout, moral injury, and workplace violence due to the complex, profit-driven nature of the health care system, leading to a growing crisis in the industry.

Generations: Women’s History Month helps us remember women in our own history 
The Bemidji Pioneer; by Sue Bruns; 3/28/26 
Whether you’re a history buff or not, I encourage you to take the last few days of March to reflect on some of the women you know or have known who are worthy of your admiration and reflection. ... I did a little online exploration and read about a few women I don’t recall my history classes mentioning. I encourage readers to go online and search sites like www.history.com and www.nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org. ... I have been blessed with truly amazing, strong, industrious, intelligent and compassionate women. Starting with my own mother.

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~ Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
Editor's Note: Goodbye to 2026's March days when weather felt like April Fools Day jokes.