Healthcare faces deficit of 100,000 workers by 2028
Becker's Hospital Review; by Molly Gamble; 8/29/24
A nationwide shortage of 100,000 healthcare workers is anticipated by 2028, with some states facing projected surpluses or severe deficits between future supply and demand. The finding comes from Mercer, which examined projected changes to the U.S. healthcare labor market by 2028 for states and metro and micro statistical areas. If current U.S. workforce trends continue, the healthcare workforce is projected to reach 18.6 million by 2028, an increase of over 1.5 million from 2023. However, with demand expected to rise to 18.7 million, this still leaves a shortfall of more than 100,000 workers within five years. While this gap may not seem critical in absolute terms, it adds significant strain to a healthcare system already burdened by geographic and demographic disparities in access to care.
Publisher's note: This finding is particularly important for hospices already facing workforce shortages and challenges finding staff committed to the hospice philosophy of care.

"Never turn anybody away from care:" Hospice Care offers support in Hazard [$25k raised]
WYMT Mountain News, Hazard, KY; by Amelia Lee; 8/29/24 
Aug. 8 was the annual radio day in Perry County for Bluegrass Care Navigators Hospice Care. On that day, $25,000 was raised and more donations continue to come in. Hospice care is a service for any person who has an illness or a decline in health. Nurse Manager at Bluegrass Hospice Care Center in Hazard, Donna Gibson, has been working in hospice care for 17 years. ... Bluegrass Care Navigators works to provide hospice care for all who need it, at no cost, said Associate Director of Philanthropy, Dawson Barnett. “Support on radio day throughout the year allows us to continue serving patients and their families regardless of their insurance status and ability to pay,” said Barnett. “We never have to turn anybody away from our care.”

Two Illinois hospices expand to new counties
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/29/24
Two Illinois-headquartered hospice operators have stretched their footprints into additional counties. Transitions Care has expanded its service region to include the Rock Island community in its home state... Meanwhile, Unity Hospice has also moved into two additional counties in the Land of Lincoln, effective Sept. 1.
Notable mentions: Trish Benson, CEO of Transitions Care; Alisa Gerke, Executive Director of Unity Hospice

Dozoretz Hospice House of Hampton Roads welcomes first patient 
WAVY, Virginia Beach, VA; by Markeshia Jackson; 8/29/24 
For a long time, the Hampton Roads region was without a single freestanding Hospice House, but this year, that changed as the Dozoretz Hospice House of Hampton Roads officially opened its doors. Now fully accredited, it welcomed its patient Thursday. “There are people in the community that saw that there was a need for a Hospice House in Hampton Roads, and they were surprised that we didn’t have one,” said Veronica Crenshaw, senior vice president of health and innovation at Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay and Hospice House of Hampton Roads executive director. ... “The family doesn’t have to worry about being the care provider,” she said. “They can worry about being the wife, the husband the family.” The 12-room house gives patients a place to relax. For families, there are four fully equipped suites to stay with their loved ones.

$1 million donation for hospice house project
[OH] WTAP; by Payton Brooker; 8/29/24
In Marietta [OH], a donation of $1 million was made towards the Cawley Hospice and Community Hospice Foundation by Cathy Azar. This will go towards their plan to build a new hospice house in Washington County. Cathy came across the project when she was in the hospital and thought it would be a great way to honor her late husband, Robert Azar... “I said, ‘I think I can help you out’, and I said, ‘how about $1,000,000,” Azar said.

Bon Secours Home Care and Hospice announces new name 
HomeCare, Richmond, VA; 8/29/24 
The Bon Secours Home Care and Hospice programs, which serves the greater Richmond area, announced a new name: Bon Secours Home Care and Hospice by Compassus. The name change reflects a joint venture partnership between Bon Secours Mercy Health, a Catholic health system in the U.S., and Compassus, a national provider of integrated home-based health care services, which was finalized earlier this year.

Bringing palliative care into the light to better serve patients
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/30/24
For many medical providers across the country, palliative care services can be an unknown option for several patients and their families. A few reasons for that are a lack of awareness surrounding the benefits of palliative care, as well as the misconceptions about what this type of care offers for patients. As such, the model can go underutilized for those who could benefit from it the most. Cathy Wozniak is the executive director of Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts (HPCMV). Alongside the organization’s medical director, Dr. Lisa Vieira, she shared recent statistics, showcasing just how imperative palliative care options can be for many Americans.

Loneliness tied to death ideation in older adults, study finds
McKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 8/29/24
A new study explored the relationship between loneliness, suicidal thoughts and death ideation in older adults. Overall, feeling lonely was linked with thoughts of wanting to die, according to the results... The researchers found that the subjective feeling of loneliness was more strongly linked with death ideation than with other measures of social disconnection, such as living alone or being socially isolated. The association between loneliness and a wish to die remained strong after the team controlled for depression and other markers of social disconnection. Regular attendance at religious services and other communal activities helped lower death ideation among the adults. Cognitive-behavioral therapy targeting depression and anxiety may also reduce the impact of loneliness.
Publisher's note: It is difficult to underestimate the impact of loneliness and social disconnection. This article and study provide interesting implications for hospice patients and those who love them.

Hoffmann Hospice to host Grief Support Camp for Children of first responders 
KGET Bakersfield, California; by Jaspreet Multani; 8/29/24 
Hoffmann Hospice will host its second annual free grief support camp for children and teens of first responders on Saturday, Sept 14, 2024. The event called “A Heart for Hero’s Art Camp,” provides a safe space for young people grieving the loss of a loved one such as a parent, sibling, or grandparent. ...  Led by experienced grief counselors, the camp offers therapeutic activities and support to help children express their grief in a nurturing environment. ... “We have a huge heart for kids, especially those who put themselves on the line for us every day,” said Ryan D’ Amato of Hoffmann Hospice.
Editor's Note: While many hospices provide excellent grief camps for children and teens, this one stands out for tending the unique experiences for families of first responders. Many of these deaths will have been sudden and tragic--without hospice care--and often more complex to grasp and grieve. Hoffman Hospice's website indicates support for other non-hospice deaths: Miscarriage, Still Birth or Sudden Loss; Suicide. Bravo and thank you to Hoffman Hospice and other hospices who utilize your grief services to support your larger communities through often-disenfranchised deaths and grief.

State seeks input on Columbia Gorge hospital, Gentiva hospice care 
The Lund Report, Oregon and SW Washington; by Nick Budnick; 8/29/24 
State officials are checking in on two health care acquisitions that have occurred since August of 2022, the absorption of Mid-Columbia Medical Center into California-based Adventist Health as well as a private equity firm's acquisition of Kindred Hospice. Now the state wants to hear how the renamed entities are doing: Adventist Health Columbia Gorge and Kindred Hospice Care. “OHA wants to understand how ownership changes may have affected health care services at AHCG and Gentiva hospice agencies,” according to a state announcement. “We’d like to hear from patients, health care providers, employees, and community members who have interacted with AHCG or Gentiva in the past year.”

Hospital to hold focus groups after Facebook controversy
Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 8/29/24
An Idaho hospital plans to host focus groups after a Facebook post received a flood of negative comments about its emergency care. Local resident Cassidy Chun posted Aug. 13 on Facebook about her grandfather's emergency department experience at Rexburg, Idaho-based Madison Memorial Hospital, where she said he had to wait hours to see a physician after crushing his hands in an accident and deal with apathetic staff along the way. Her post on the Life in Rexburg Facebook group received more than 200 comments, many of them echoing similar problems with the hospital's ED.
Publisher's note: How does your hospice track social media comments? How do you respond?

1,100 Providence hospital workers end strike: 7 things to know
Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 8/29/24
About 1,100 SEIU Healthcare 1199NW-represented workers have ended their weeklong strike at Richland, Wash.-based Kadlec Regional Medical Center and its Kennewick ER, as contract negotiations continue. [Click on article link above for] seven things to know about the strike and negotiations.
Publisher's note: We're including this story because 1) about half of palliative care is provided in hospital settings, 2) hospital referrals are important for hospices, and 3) changes in hospital workforce may be opportunities for hospital-based palliative care and community-based hospice providers.

TRU PACE removes barriers for older adults wanting to age in place and avoid nursing homes
[CO] My Prime Time News; 8/29/24
September is National PACE Month—an opportunity to celebrate PACE (the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly). PACE is an innovative care model that allows older adults over age 55 with long-term care needs to live independently in their communities for as long as possible... TRU PACE provides a better quality of life with dedicated caregivers, transportation, homecare, full medical care, rehabilitation, medication, medical equipment, mental health support, meals, and opportunities for socialization at the day center. The PACE Center serves as the central hub of all services, including scheduling and transportation to and from all appointments. In PACE networks there is never a co-pay, deductible or coverage gap so you can access the care, services and medications you need. PACE’s comprehensive services and interdisciplinary team can be an invaluable solution for the older adult and their caregivers who are balancing the needs of family and work.

It could happen to you — how to prepare for and mitigate the fallout from a cyberattack
McKnight's Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto;8/28/24
Everyone thinks they know about cybersecurity, but thinking about the effects a cyberattack could have on an organization should be enough to lose sleep over, according to risk management experts. ... Cybersecurity, at its core, is about confidentiality, integrity and availability, according to John P. DiMaggio, co-founder and CEO of Blue Orange Compliance, a risk assessment company. Including senior living in the definition of healthcare, he said that healthcare organizations are targets of cyber criminals because of their relatively weak defenses, the value of the data necessary for operations, and the numerous interfaces and sharing of information that occurs among providers. ... Reasonable security practices — considered the minimum — include risk analysis and management, access control measures, training, incident response planning, physical controls, technical safeguards, third party/vendor management, backup and disaster recovery and patch management. But DiMaggio recommended going above that minimum threshold by using recognized security practices to mitigate penalties and ensure regulatory compliance. Those practices, he said, include email and endpoint protection, access management, data loss prevention, asset and network management, vulnerability management, incident response, medical device security and cybersecurity policies.

A tale of two leaders: What leadership has taught me
Baker Women Newsletter; 8/24
Showcasing how leaders come in various shapes and sizes is the common thread throughout this issue. We interviewed two Baker Donelson women leaders – Martha Boyd, chair of the Firm's Labor & Employment Group, and Jennifer Dunlap, vice-chair for the Firm's Labor & Employment Group – to see how they approach leadership, empower others, and what they have learned about themselves within their leadership roles.

I discovered my calling in a cemetery. We talk about death but aren't prepared
Newsweek; by Allyse Worland; 8/29/24
My journey as a funeral director started early. My Catholic grade school shared a street with a cemetery in my small rural Indiana hometown. At recess, I'd often see funeral processions drive by, only at the time I thought it was a parade. It wasn't until my teachers explained it to me that I realized it was, in fact, a funeral procession. At that moment I knew I wanted to lead that parade... Death and grief are no different. A recent first-of-its-kind survey from the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) sought to uncover generational differences relating to end-of-life matters, especially as Gen Z comes of age and enters early adulthood. The survey found that while cremation is still a top preference for Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials, Gen Z stands alone with traditional burial as their top preference, bucking decades of preferences trending toward cremation... As a millennial who is fifteen years into my career as a funeral director, I am inspired by this next generation, not only by their willingness to approach death differently, but also as they redefine work and success. I think both these generational characteristics make many Gen Zs ideal candidates for a job path they may have never even considered: funeral director.

Matters of life and death: Our health (and lack thereof) is worth talking about
Psychology Today; by Samantha Stein; 8/29/24
In his book Being Mortal, Dr. Atul Gawande, a practicing surgeon, discusses how having the hard conversations about end-of-life medical interventions (or not) may lead to a shorter life but a more fulfilling one. In his book Telltale Hearts, Dr. Dean-David Schillinger, a physician and public health advocate, discusses how accurate diagnosis, treatment, and true healing come from listening deeply to patients and their stories. Medical advances in the past century have been astounding. We live significantly longer and are able to survive repeated health crises that once would have killed us. Nearly everyone would agree that in many, if not most, cases that’s a positive thing. However, many would argue that our hyperfocus on prolonging life at all costs, along with our tendency to treat symptoms rather than looking for underlying causes, has caused us to lose sight of the importance of quality of life and true health.

'It's heartbreaking': Hospices planning cuts to jobs and beds
[UK] BBC News; by Hugh Pym, Vicki Loader; 8/30/24
Five hospices caring for terminally ill people have planned job cuts in the past two months due to financial pressures, BBC News has learned. St Giles Hospice, which runs community services and in-patient sites in the West Midlands, has started consulting staff this week on a reduction of 40 posts, including clinical roles, which could involve redundancies. The organisation representing the sector, Hospice UK, has warned of a funding crisis and further cuts in services.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. ~ Winston Churchill