Literature Review

PeaceHealth nurses announce plan to picket outside hospital April 18 The Columbian, by Chrissy Booker; 4/10/24 Nurses at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver will picket outside the hospital April 18. ... The bargaining unit, which includes 1,465 nurses, is negotiating with the hospital for a new three-year contract. According to a news release from the union, “management has not agreed to the association’s proposed workplace protections, staffing commitments or market-rate wages.” PeaceHealth countered that its proposals have been “highly competitive.”

New study calls home health star ratings into question McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy, 4/11/24A comparison of agency-reported functional measures and claims-based hospitalization measures raises doubts about the value of star ratings as a means of evaluating home health agency (HHA) quality. The study, published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, analyzed differences between claims-based and agency-reported outcomes for nearly 23 million patient episodes before and after the introduction of the star ratings system to compare changes over time. 

Valley Health and Blue Ridge Hospice expand partnership to offer hospice care at Shenandoah Memorial HospitalABC WHSV Fox TV 3, by Colby Johnson; 4/10/24 Valley Health and Blue Ridge Hospice are expanding their partnership to be able to offer their collaborative ‘Hospice in the Hospital’ program at Shenandoah Memorial Hospital in Woodstock. The program will allow patients at Shenandoah Memorial to receive end-of-life hospice care. 

'I just want to take everybody fishing': Dose of the Coast provides a much needed respite Nola.com - Louisiana Inspired, by Jack Barlow; 4/9/24 Dealing with a serious illness is all consuming. One nonprofit strives to give people suffering life-altering illnesses a much-needed break. Baton Rouge-based Dose of the Coast takes people dealing with cancer and other similar illnesses out for a day on the water. ... The genesis of the organization began in 2014, with a fishing trip for Ashley Ferguson's father, Donald Walker. ... 

‘Ladders and lattices’ provide career opportunities for CNAs McKnights Senior Living, by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 4/10/24Providers would be wise to help certified nursing assistants advance in their careers, according to an article in Caring for the Ages, a publication of AMDA–The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. “One promising concept involves career ladders and lattices,” wrote Joanne Kaldy, senior contributor. “As a CNA, ladders enable you to pursue opportunities to move ‘up the ladder’ into other positions, such as licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), or administrator. ..."

Family caregivers can help shape the outcomes for their loved ones – an ICU nurse explains their vital role The Conversation, by Beth Daley; 4/9/24 The floor nurse had just told me that my new patient – let’s call her Marie – would not stop screaming. ... No matter how much I comforted her, ... she was screaming for her daughter, April, who was on her way. ... As a seasoned bedside critical care nurse, I see firsthand the benefits that family caregivers bring to patient care in the hospital. I also witness the emotional stress that caregivers experience when their loved one comes to the ICU.

Hospice of Redmond expands Camp Sunrise, yearly grief camp, to include teens 13-17KTVZ.com News Channel 21, Redmond, OR; 4/9/24 An estimated 6 million children, or 1 in 12 kids in the United States, will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. ... Substance abuse and behavioral issues are closely intertwined with grief. Untreated grief may impact high-risk behavior, trouble in school, and substance abuse. Hospice of Redmond’s annual children’s grief camp, Camp Sunrise, which occurs every June, has expanded its offerings to include helping teens ages 13 to 17 this year.

Odom co-authors American Cancer Society Caregiver Services GuideThe University of Alamaba at Birmingham School of Nursing, by Laura Gasque; 4/9/24To help meet the needs of the growing number of people caring for family members and friends with cancer, the American Cancer Society has released the guide “Developing Caregiver Clinical Services: A Toolkit for Cancer Centers and Staff,” co-authored by University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Associate Professor and holder of the Doreen C. Harper Endowed Professorship in Nursing, J. Nicholas Odom, PhD, RN, ACHPN, FAAN. According to the ACS, this toolkit is the first of its kind to provide the tools and resources that oncology leaders, clinicians and staff members can use to implement for caregiver clinical services.Editor's Note: Click here to download this free, excellent resource.

Young KC hospice patient feels love from Eric Stonestreet, Royals -- and a sweet pig The Kansas City Star, by Lisa Gutierrez; 4/9/24 For more than three hours Sunday, a big ol’, droopy-eared Chester White pig from Kansas with the longest of eyelashes and the pinkest of snouts cuddled with Isabelle Sears. She brushed him over and over and over. The pig’s owner was awed by its gentle manners. So was Eric Stonestreet, the man who fulfilled Isabelle’s request for the visit. You see, 22-year-old Isabelle wanted to be a veterinarian. Then brain cancer found her, again. She is a patient of Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care, at home in the Kansas City area surrounded by family and her pets.

Fraudsters sentenced in scheme that distributed 7,600 phony nursing diplomas McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 4/8/24Three individuals were sentenced for their role in distributing fraudulent diplomas and transcripts to thousands of nursing students in Florida, New York and New Jersey, the US Attorney’s Office disclosed last week. The registrar of Palm Beach School of Nursing in Lake Worth, FL, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to forfeit $861,672. The owner and operator of Success Nursing Review in Brooklyn, NY, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, fined $20,000 and ordered to forfeit $4,698,828.

Anti-DEI initiatives in medicine harm us all MedPage Today - Perspectives; by Aderonke Pederson, MD; 4/9/24I entered into medical school as a top student at the University of Chicago with a high GPA ... and a stellar CV exhibiting strong leadership qualities. I had beaten all odds, despite being a Black orphan migrant with no financial means. Medical school was a grueling process ... I would likely have felt even more socially isolated at my predominantly white institution if not for three essential factors. First, I was welcomed by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) administrators and participants ... Second, I had a dean of DEI who... said, "You can do this, Ronke." Finally, without my deep faith, ... I would not be where I am today. My experience is not unique from other underrepresented physicians of color. Despite this, DEI programs across the country are under attack.

Grief and justice: A sneak peek of Providence artist Jordan Seaberry’s new exhibit Rhode Island Monthly, by Veronica Bruno; 4/8/24 "We Live Until" explores grief, social justice and human rights through the lens of hospice care. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Jordan Seaberry embraced the Providence community after attending the Rhode Island School of Design. It was there that Seaberry became involved in legislative efforts centering around criminal justice reform, which reinvigorated his artistry as a painter. Seaberry’s new exhibit, “We Live Until,” opening April 27 at the Newport Art Museum, incorporates these political and cultural issues through the intimate stories of hospice care patients. The show also gives Seaberry an opportunity to come to grips with his grandmother’s passing.

They work 80 hours a week for low pay. Now, California’s early-career doctors are joining unions Cal Matters, by Kristen Hwang; 4/8/24 ... In some California hospitals, early-career doctors make as little as $16 per hour working 80-hour weeks. It’s training, known as residency, that every board-certified doctor must complete. ... Last week, hundreds of resident physicians and fellows at Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California facilities became the latest to join the wave of medical trainees demanding better pay and working conditions. Their petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board comes after Kaiser Permanente refused to voluntarily recognize the union.