California wildfires and healthcare: Compiled articles
Compiled from various news sources; 1/9/25
Click on links below to go to the source articles.

• Maps: See how large the California wildfires are; NBC News with frequent updates
• Nursing home residents dodging embers, smoke amid LA County wildfire evacuations; McKnights Long-Term Care News
• Nursing home in Pasadena evacuated as thick smoke from wildfire approaches; NBC 
• Dramatic video shows assisted living facility evacuated as wildfires near; CNN
• Hospitals and California wildfires: What to know; Becker's Hospital Review
• 'It was a hellscape': The challenge of evacuating Los Angeles during wildfires; BBC
• Teladoc offers free virtual care for those affected by L.A. fires; KTLA 5, Los Angeles
• Wildfires Can Leave Lasting Psychological Scars; The New York Times
• How to safely evacuate a wildfire; Associated Press
• Resources posted by the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, repost of same article from 1/9/25
  
  

Editor's note: To identify hospice organizations in affected areas, start with the National Hospice Locator, provided to the public by National Hospice Analytics. We send support and rally our national hospice and palliative community to do what you can, where you are. Tune into your employees, volunteers and the patients you serve who have family and close friends in California's affected areas. This is not a time to interfere with the critical, immediate "Response" processes underway (within the 5 Emergency Disaster processes of Prevention - Mitigation - Preparedness - Response - Recovery).  This is a time to start with your own people and to be preparing for helpful strategies ahead. To evaluate your own Emergency Disaster Plan, click here for the CMS.gov Emergency Preparedness Rule. Click here for Wisconsin's CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule Toolkit: Hospices.

Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver extra food ahead of winter storm 
Fox 4 KDFW, Dallas, TX; by Alex Boyer; 1/8/25 
Volunteers are doing their best to help some of North Texas’ most vulnerable people prepare for the winter storm. ... Meals on Wheels in Dallas County is a service provided by the Visiting Nurses Association. Currently, the organization serves about 5,200 homebound seniors and disabled adults throughout the county each weekday. That’s in addition to those in hospice care.

Hospice Insights Podcast [The Law and Beyond] - A year in review: Reflections and hopes for the future 
JD Supra; by Husch Blackwell LLP; 1/8/25 
It’s our first podcast of 2025 and we wanted to start the year out with some reflections. Join Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Bryan Nowicki as they each share their biggest surprises and victories of 2024 and what is on their wish list for 2025. 

Iowa Finance Authority okays more than $500,000 for North Iowa homeless assistance [$66k to Cedar Valley Hospice] 
KIMT3 News, Des Moines, IO; by Mike Bunge; 1/9/24 
Over $500,000 in grants from the Iowa Finance Authority is going to homeless assistance programs that cover North Iowa. $18,189 will go to Community Kitchen of North Iowa, Inc. in Cerro Gordo County.  Cedar Valley Hospice covering Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Fayette, Floyd, Grundy, Howard, Mitchell, and Winneshiek counties will receive $66,565.  $474,108 will go to Primary Health Care covering [28 counties] ...

When drugstores disappear: Why nearly 15,000 Bostonians live in ‘pharmacy deserts’
Boston Globe; by Diti Kohli, Tiana Woodard, Daigo Fujiwara-Smith, Thomas Lee; 7/25/24
Many of these dead zones overlap with vulnerable communities — already poorer, sicker, and less well-resourced than the rest of the state. Where do patients go? ... Since 2017, at least 26 pharmacies have closed in Boston, and about 200 shuttered statewide, according to data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. State estimates show that a comparable number have since opened, though they rarely serve the same communities. Often left behind are so-called pharmacy deserts, pockets of the city where the majority of residents live at least a half-mile from the nearest drugstore, and lack cars to make the trip. A Globe analysis found that almost 15,000 people in Boston live in such deserts, without a reliable place to go for prescriptions, over-the-counter treatments, and medical advice. Many of these dead zones overlap with vulnerable communities — already poorer, sicker, and less well resourced than the rest of the state.
Publisher's note: While a little dated, this article recently came across my desk and reinforced "new year's discussions" of pharmacy deserts - and hospice deserts. This Health Affairs article is related: Locations and characteristics of pharmacy deserts in the United States: A geospatial study (4/24). More to follow on this in 2025.

Catholic Hospice executive director retires after 40 years in healthcare management 
Archdiocese of Miami; by Priscilla Greear; 1/8/25 
Dian Backoff retired in December 2024 as executive director of Catholic Hospice, having more than doubled the daily patient census in six years and extended its mission of compassionate end-of-life medical care across the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Miami. Her career spanned 40 years, from nurse to vice president and hospice pioneer—never forgetting the impact of daily nursing care to a woman with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS disease. ... Backoff, 65, likes to remind staff to remember their “why” to help patients experience a peaceful death. Additionally, “their families can experience what we call a good death and not have complicated grief afterwards and not be so distraught that they’re not healthy mentally,” she said.

No place like home: Oscar the pug reunites with owner in hospice 
KOAT 7 Action News, Albuquerque, NM; by Cristiana Ramos; 1/8/25 
It was all smiles and licks Wednesday at Veteran Affairs in Albuquerque. Bob Knevitt, a Marine veteran and his pup, Oscar, reunited after Knevitt suffered a brain bleed during Christmas. Knevitt has been in hospice ever since. He recently had to do the unimaginable and put Oscar up for adoption. "It's hard to lose a dog, but in my situation, I had no choice, and I'm glad he's going to a good family," he said. ... It was a friendship too strong to break. Although Oscar has a new family now, he still comes to visit his dad ...

The anonymous advantage: How anonymous patient surveys can improve healthcare outcomes 
Forbes; by Lauren Parr; 1/9/24 
When it comes to improving patient care, feedback is the compass that guides healthcare providers in the right direction. But here’s the catch, traditional feedback often fails to capture honest patient opinions due to fear of judgment, privacy concerns and other potential repercussions. This is where anonymous surveys prove to be valuable. Studies have demonstrated that anonymous surveys yield more candid responses, leading to a deeper understanding of patient experiences. This increased transparency fosters trust between patients and healthcare providers, enabling a more collaborative approach to care. Free from fear of judgment or consequences, patients can provide honest feedback, highlighting strengths and identifying areas for improvement. This ultimately leads to better healthcare outcomes.

Muslim American Heritage Month Celebration 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC; Denis McDonough; 1/8/25
Dr. Salaam, thank you for your service in the Air Force, and for your service in communities around the country as an Imam and civil rights leader in the years since. Your words, principles, and perspectives are as inspiring as they are important ... [Describing VA Chaplain Omer Yigiter:] He became a VA chaplain at the Northport VA Medical Center, the only Muslim chaplain serving all of VISN-2 and one of only four Muslim VA chaplains across the country. ... We must learn and re-tell stories like those shared today—to ensure the experiences of Muslim American Veterans are acknowledged and honored. Truthful storytelling is also about authentic representation, about ensuring all Veteran voices and perspectives are heard and welcomed. So to our Muslim Veterans and colleagues, your unique perspectives make VA stronger. 

The most-read Health Affairs Forefront articles of 2024 
Health Affairs; by Health Affairs; 1/8/25
... [We] offer a look back at the most-read Health Affairs Forefront articles of 2024. Each year’s list has its own character. This year’s list is heavy on work by authors at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services—in particular, articles from our Forefront Featured Topic “Accountable Care For Population Health,” which claimed the first three spots on the “top ten” roster.

1. The CMS Innovation Center’s Strategy To Support Person-Centered, Value-Based Specialty Care: 2024 Update ...
2. Update On The Medicare Value-Based Care Strategy: Alignment, Growth, Equity ...
3. Improving Participation In Value-Based Care—The CMS Innovation Center’s Data-Sharing Strategy Initiative ...
   
4. CMS Proposes Significant Policy Changes To Improve Care For Dually Eligible Individuals ...
5. Advancing Health Equity Through Value-Based Care: CMS Innovation Center Update ...
6. Suicide Rates Are High And Rising Among Older Adults In The US ...
7. [Click on the title's link for more]

UnitedHealth, Amedisys ask judge to toss antitrust lawsuit 
Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 1/9/25
UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys asked a federal judge Wednesday to either dismiss a government lawsuit over their planned merger or require the Justice Department to better define where the deal would stifle competition. The motion is the latest chapter in UnitedHealth Group’s 18-month effort to acquire home health and hospice company Amedisys for $3 billion. In November, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit to block the deal, claiming it would stifle competition. ... The request for a dismissal came days after UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys backed away from a deal to sell some home health and hospice locations to Dallas-based Vital Caring Group to alleviate antitrust concerns.

December ransomware attacks slam healthcare, public services 
Informa; by Arielle Waldman; 1/9/25 
As 2024 wrapped up, ransomware continued to be a prevalent threat for victim organizations in the education, transportation and healthcare sectors. ... Attacks knocked services offline for weeks or months, interrupted students' education and led one victim organization to give in to ransom demand pressures. Like many of the major ransomware attacks throughout 2024, December continued to prove how enduring the threat is. One highly disruptive attack last month occurred against PIH Health in Whittier, Calif., Dec. 1. The attack affected healthcare appointments and services at PIH Health Downey Hospital, PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital and PIH Health Whittier Hospital, as well as urgent care centers, doctors' offices and PIH Health's home health and hospice agency.

Cybersecurity in 2025: Agentic AI to change enterprise security and business operations in year ahead 
SC Media; by Stephen Weigand; 1/9/25 
In 2025, significant advancements in agentic artificial intelligence (AI) systems will drive new AI-based cyber defensives, driving new solutions to help organizations carry out specific goals, making decisions, and taking mitigation action with minimal human intervention. However, as these agentic AI systems become integral to business operations, they will also expose organizations to new risks. Nicole Carignan, VP of strategic cyber AI at Darktrace, highlights that multi-agent AI systems, while offering unparalleled efficiency for complex tasks, will introduce vulnerabilities such as data breaches, prompt injections and data privacy risks.

How agilon health trains primary care physicians to provide palliative care 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/8/25 
The senior care company agilon health (NYSE: AGL) has scaled a palliative care education model for its physician partners throughout most of the markets they serve. ... A 2023 study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management found that the primary care-led, integrated approach to palliative care that agilon employs were two-thirds less likely to die in a hospital and on average spent five more days at home near the end of life. Hospice News sat down with agilon’s CMO, Dr. Karthik Rao, to talk about the ways the company prepares physicians to provide palliative care to their most seriously ill patients. [Key goals include:]

1. ... understand that problem that we’re trying to solve for our patients through palliative care ...
2. ... identifying the right patients that are eligible for palliative care ...
   
3. ... acknowledging that having even palliative enrollment conversations is challenging ... [training and] supporting providers to have effective and meaningful palliative enrollment and engagement conversations

Whether it is a tsunami, or whether it is a hurricane, whether it's an earthquake - when we see these great fatal and natural acts, men and women of every ethnic persuasion come together and they just want to help. ~ Martin Luther King III
Reposted from our 10/11/24 newsletter, responding to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.