Honoring the lives and legacies of hospice leaders - February 2026

• G. Scott Herman, founder and CEO of New Day Healthcare, has succumbed to cancer at age 61. Herman brought more than 30 years of health care experience to New Day. He began his journey in health care as a paramedic and flight nurse. His time in nursing included tenures in emergency departments, intensive care units, home health and hospice. Also prior to New Day, Herman served as CEO of Elara Caring and held executive roles in six other home health and hospice companies.
  
  
• Myra MacPherson, 91, a devoted and longtime member of the Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) Board of Directors, died in the care of hospice at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital on Monday, February 2.  ... She was a leading force at HFA and regularly participated in its long-running Living with Grief® educational program. ... A well-known Washington journalist and writer, MacPherson joined The Washington Post in 1968. ... In a story about her life and death, The Post called her a “trailblazing” journalist who “defied gender stereotypes.” ... She Came to Live Out Loud was a book about a woman diagnosed with breast cancer at 37, ... addressing important issues about death and grief, including physician and patient communication; living with serious illness; children’s grief; anticipatory grief; grieving styles; caregiving; and resilience.

Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske: Hospices facing ‘huge pendulum shift' 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 2/27/26 
The hospice space has seen waves of regulatory changes in recent years that are affecting sustainable access, according to Meg Pekarske, partner at the law firm Husch Blackwell. Ensuring program integrity and quality will take an overhaul of hospice regulation. Pekarske, a hospice and health care attorney, is retiring with more than 25 years of legal experience, effective March 31. She recently sat down with Hospice News to reflect on the most significant regulatory changes impacting the future scope of hospice care delivery. Greater consideration is needed around a potential revamp of the Medicare Hospice Benefit, Pekarske said.

Be where you are: Leadership, caregiving, and the courage to pause with Carla Davis | part two 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux with Carla Davis; 2/27/26 
In Part Two of Be Where You Are: Leadership, Caregiving, and the Courage to Pause, Carla Davis reflects on a transformative year away from executive leadership—one shaped by caregiving, reflection, and rediscovering her deeper purpose. What began as a pause became a profound reaffirmation of calling.  Carla shares how stepping out of the day-to-day demands of leadership gave her clarity around stewardship, alignment, and the responsibility to use her gifts—leadership and mercy—with intention and courage.

Bedford Hospice House to close mid-April, shifts to home-based care 
WFXR Roanoke, Bedford, VA; by Samantha Trezevant; 2/27/26 
Centra announced it will close the Bedford Hospice House on April 15, 2026, citing ongoing financial challenges despite years of community support. In a Facebook post, the nonprofit health system says operating costs at the hospice house have exceeded revenues and donations for several years. This led to what officials described as a difficult but necessary decision. 

Chris Remely: Understanding burial and cremation — part 2 
Bozeman Daily Chronicle (BDC); by Chris Remely; 2/21/26 
... Cremation is not new. Records dating back thousands of years indicate that people along the Greek Peninsula were the first to practice cremation. It was primarily done as a practical way to bring the bodies of fallen warriors home to honor them. ... The first cremation in America was performed in 1876 in Pennsylvania. Today, approximately 60 percent of persons who die in the United States choose cremation. What is cremation and how is it performed? ...

Farmington man accused of stabbing two women released to hospice after rapid health decline 
40/29 News Sunrise, Rogers, AR; by Adam Roberts; 2/25/26 
A 74-year-old Farmington man accused of stabbing two women is being sent from jail to hospice care, according to court documents. James Edward Gore was arrested after police say he used scissors and a knife to stab two women on Feb. 9. ... A court filing by Gore’s attorney stated that surgeons had removed a tumor the size of a tennis ball, that he has progressive dementia, and cognitive decline. The filing claimed that when they tried to speak with him in jail, he couldn’t communicate with them and didn’t comprehend what was happening. Gore’s attorney asked the court to reduce the bond and allow him to be released to hospice. ... Gore will be sent to a hospice facility in Springdale with staff who have experience with people in Gore’s position.

Handmade patchwork quilts bring comfort to Taree palliative care patients and their families 
ABC - New South Wales, Australia; by Emma Siossian; 2/21/26 
Kaye-Maree Hinton's husband Garry was in end-of-life care with a rare type of brain cancer, when a nurse laid a bright, handmade quilt over his hospital bed. Ms. Hinton, 62, says the simple act of kindness provided a spark of colour and comfort in the stark and sterile hospital environment. ... "It was so comforting … to cover him with something so beautiful, instead of just hospital sheets and hospital blankets in cold, stark white." ... The quilt is now set to become a family heirloom, already laid in a crib ready for the upcoming birth of Ms. Hinton's newest grandchild. ... Recently the project surpassed a total of 2,000 donated quilts.

When the prognosis shifts: How communication strategies can help patients and families plan for what’s next 
Cancer Nursing Today; by Monique Nugent, MD, MPH, Gina Mohr, MD, Sarah Anderson, DNP, AGACNP-BC, OCN, WCC, Sarah May, MD; 2/20/26 
Monique Nugent, MD, MPH, author of Prescription for Admission and hospitalist at South Shore Health, joined Cancer Nursing Today and Urban Health Today to moderate a collaborative roundtable focused on leading challenging conversations in healthcare settings, including key takeaways and educational insights for oncology nurses. A multidisciplinary panel of experts accompanied Dr. Nugent ... [to discuss] how oncology nurses and other healthcare professionals should approach end-of-life discussions with patients and caregivers and why in-depth planning for these conversations is critical.

Bills to let patients use medical marijuana in hospitals are advancing in states across the U.S. 
Marijuana Moment; by Kyle Jaeger; 2/27/26 
Lawmakers in multiple states are considering bills to allow seriously ill patients to access and use medical marijuana in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, with several such proposals advancing this week and one running into a legislative roadblock. ... Here’s a look at where Ryan’s Law bills are seeing action in state legislatures: 

• Connecticut ...
• Hawaii ...
• Mississippi ...
• Oregon ...
• Virginia ...
• Washington State ...

John Bowlby’s theory of attachment and separation: revisiting his original visions after 50+ years, what we know today, and where to go from here? 
Taylor & Francis Online | Attachment and Human Development; by Kazuko Y. Behrens, Karen Jones-Mason, and Tommie Forslund; 8/23/25 
This Special Issue of Attachment and Human Development, titled John Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment and Separation: Revisiting His Original Visions After 50+ Years, What We Know Today, and Where to Go From Here?’ was intended to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bowlby’s seminal work on Separation. ... This Special Issue consists of six papers with diverse samples and contexts. The opening paper by van der Horst et al. (Citation2025), pp. 662–683) provides a historical analysis of Bowlby’s fundamental contributions to attachment theory, with a particular focus on the concept of separation. 

From digital transformation to intelligent transformation 
CIO; by Rakesh Bhardwaj; 2/25/26 
Over the past decade, digital transformation has focused on converting manual processes to digital ones, migrating infrastructure to the cloud, updating applications and creating new channels for customer and employee engagement. These efforts have resulted in tangible benefits such as accelerated cycle times, increased transparency and reduced costs. However, these initiatives have also revealed limitations: Simply digitizing a flawed process does not resolve its underlying issues; it only makes the inefficiencies operate at a faster pace.

March reminds us that progress is a journey—steady, patient, and full of promise.