Literature Review

Negotiations end between Local 17 Nurses and Providence St. Patrick Hospital The Fairfield Sun Times - Missoula, MT, by Ian Alvano; 4/9/24 After a standstill of contract negotiations, a new contract has been ratified between the Local 17 Nurse Union and Providence St. Patrick Hospital. The nurses were looking for safe staffing ratios and competitive pay, in a new contract.  Some of the demands were met and some weren't, said Local 17 co-president, Kate Marmorato, regarding the new ratified contract between the nurses and the hospital. 

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.

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.

Valley Health provider’s memory lives on with help of donor generosity Valley Helath Foundations, 4/9/24 On March 27, a new Intensivist Workroom was dedicated in Winchester Medical Center’s Critical Care unit in memory of Mark Clinton, MD, who passed away in 2018 from cancer. Dr. Clinton’s specialty was palliative care, including the care of the caregiver. He was a superb clinician, a compassionate provider and a steadfast partner. He worked for Valley Intensivists for five years before his death. Since his passing, nearly $30,000 has been donated in his memory. 

Great things are not done by impluse, but by a series of small things brought together. - George Eliot

Rio Grande Hospital addition designed for wellness [Includes lodging for out-of-town hospice family members] Alamosa Citizen; 4/9/24On the west side of Del Norte, across from a large bison herd, sits Rio Grande Hospital and Clinic. Construction of a large addition, a Wellness Village, is approaching completion with a grand opening planned for June. ... When completed, the wellness village will occupy five acres adjoining the existing hospital campus and will include the multipurpose Wellness Center, four to six small housing units, and four RV hookups. The housing and RV hookup features will enable those who don’t live close by or who are visiting the area to spend time with loved ones in treatment or hospice without having to travel up to 90 miles plus-or-minus every day.

The transformative power of art in palliative care patients Hardwood Paroxysm, by Shannon Bailey; 4/10/24 Art can often express what is difficult in words. ... Carles joined the program weeks before his death and after undergoing other treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or immunotherapy. ... [His partner and mother of his twin daughters described,]  “The art therapy sessions were the most anticipated moment of the day during his stay in palliative care. For him, this was a way to express his feelings. A space for self-care, intimacy, meditation as well as connection with his closest beings.” [Read more for ...]

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.

HCA Healthcare faces more Mission Health-related allegations Modern Healthcare, by Alex Kacik; 4/9/24Buncombe County in North Caroline seeks to join state Attorney General Josh Stein’s (D) lawsuit against HCA Healthcare alleging the health system shirked its Mission Health acquisition agreement. When HCA acquired Asheville, North Carolina-based Mission for $1.5 billion in 2019, Stein approved the transaction as long as HCA maintained services and increased behavioral health capacity, among other conditions. Stein in December sued HCA, alleging the Nashville, Tennessee-based for-profit hospital chain has failed to meet those terms. 

Why difficult conversations matter: How delivering bad news with clarity and empathy impacts both provider and patient Cedars Sinai, by Cassie Tomlin; 4/8/24Good physicians rely on a battery of hard-won skills to treat serious illness—they observe, predict, test, prescribe and diagnose. But many physicians haven’t been taught how to have productive, mutually beneficial conversations—such as sharing a life-changing diagnosis or informing patients about disease trajectory and symptoms, prognosis and end-of-life care. High-impact communication tools can be learned at any point in a physician’s career, says Jessica Besbris, MD, director of Neuropalliative Care and the Neurology Supportive Care Medicine Program at Cedars-Sinai. Here, Besbris shares why such careful conversations matter for everyone involved, and ways physicians can improve how they discuss serious illness.

Lost for words? Research shows art therapy brings benefits for mental health The Conversation; 4/8/24 Creating art for healing purposes dates back tens of thousands of years, to the practices of First Nations people around the world. ... When people face significant physical or mental ill-health, it can be challenging to put their experiences into words. Art therapists support people to explore and process overwhelming thoughts, feelings and experiences through a reflective art-making process. This is distinct from art classes, which often focus on technical aspects of the artwork, or the aesthetics of the final product.

Mixed reactions as St. Patrick Hospital nurses approve new contract KPAX-8 Missoula & Western Montana, by Claire Peterson; 4/8/24 The nurse's union at St. Patrick Hospital approved a three-year contract by a narrow vote. ... On Friday, April 5, the nurse’s union at Providence St. Patrick Hospital approved a three-year contract by a narrow vote, bringing months of negotiation to an end. ... The new contract was approved by 56% of the nurses who voted, according to Marmorato. St. Patrick Hospital nurses were fighting for higher wages, plans to prevent workplace violence and more effort to retain staff. 

Virtual reality therapy offers ‘sustained improvement’ in cancer-related pain Healio, by Josh Friedman; 4/8/24  Individuals with cancer reported significantly reduced pain immediately following a 10-minute virtual reality (VR) session, study results published in Cancer showed. The findings from the randomized trial suggest that pain reductions associated with VR use are sustainable for up to 24 hours and produced a reduction in pain bothersomeness and destress, according to researchers.