Literature Review

'We’re seeing these struggles.' Rainbow works to support end-of-life caregivers Daily Jefferson County Union, Jefferson, WI; by Hannah Brock; 2/10/25 Rainbow Community Care is facing a growing need in Dodge and Jefferson counties: the overwhelming burden placed on caregivers, both family members and healthcare workers, as they navigate end-of-life care. “There’s this need in the community to support caregivers, where whoever they are,” said Carol Brown, president and CEO of Rainbow Community Care. The backbone of the healthcare system isn’t just hospitals or insurance plans—it’s the unpaid, often invisible labor of family caregivers. ... The newest initiative, the respite care program, is being designed to give caregivers much-needed breaks. Many family caregivers go months—or even years—without a full night’s rest, a doctor’s visit for themselves, or even an afternoon off, according to Rainbow Community Care. To help address this, Rainbow Community Care secured the necessary funding for the program. 

Kamloops Hospice's Messages of Love Campaign runs all month long Castanet - Kamloops.net, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada; by Eagle Anderson, 2/9/25 Kamloops residents are being invited to stop by a cafe, grab a cup of coffee and share some positive words as part of Kamloops Hospice’s Messages of Love Campaign, which is running all month. Four local eateries — 5 Bean Brew Bar (Sahali), The Vic, Cafe Motivo, Yew Street — and the Kamloops Hospice will each provide sticky notes, pens and a board for posting. “It’s essentially an awareness campaign,” Kamloops Hospice’s Fund Development Lead Sarah Irvine said. ... Participants are encouraged to write a positive message on each note. They can then keep the note, stick it to a board or give it away. Messages can be written to friends, family, community groups, lost loved ones and even to themselves.

UnitedHealth Group withdraws motion to dismiss antitrust challenge Competition Policy International; by CPI; 2/8/25 UnitedHealth Group has withdrawn its motion to dismiss the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit challenging its proposed acquisition of Amedisys, a home care and hospice provider. According to the , the healthcare giant stated that new information provided by the government in late January rendered its initial motion moot. ... On January 29, the Justice Department responded to the motion by filing a list of 381 service areas where it alleged the acquisition would negatively impact competition. UnitedHealth Group, in its latest filing, acknowledged that this submission “finally identified” the locations in question, leading the company to withdraw its motion.

After Eaton fire response, a search and rescue team gears up for a future of wildfire DirectRelief; by Talya Meyers; 2/10/25 Like many California volunteer rescuers, Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team members got their start doing wilderness missions. Now, they’re preparing for a bigger role in an era of more frequent, severe wildfires. When the volunteers on the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team look back on the first night’s response to the Eaton Fire, what they remember most is problem-solving, and quickly. ...  “We were building an airplane while we were flying it,” is how operations leader Carolyn Grumm described it. ... For [Rob Klusman, senior paramedic team member], the vast and urgent need came into focus early that evening, when his team went to check on a medically complex patient receiving end-of-life care. ... [Immediately after countless evacuations,] he and his teammates moved into their second, grimmer assignment: Moving through devastated, burned-out neighborhoods, ... to find human remains. ... [Now, on] a larger scale, Klusamn explained, California search and rescue teams are thinking about the escalating severity and frequency of wildfires — and how they can be there to respond.

Flat MaineCare rates force home health company to discharge pediatric patients NBC News Center Maine, Lewiston, ME; by Vivien Leigh; 2/7/25 A home health company is lobbying state health officials to adopt a funding plan to ensure kids with severe health needs don't fall through the cracks. Andwell Health Partners provides nursing, therapy, and services to nearly 900 children across six counties. The majority of those kids are on MaineCare, the state's version of Medicaid. But the company said it has no choice but to discharge patients because of a lack of increase in reimbursement rates. ... Lindsay Hammes, spokesperson with Maine DHHS, released a statement to News Center Maine. "... MaineCare has been working with providers and partners, including Andwell, on a palliative care model that would, among other populations, cover children with medical complexity. We are in the rate-setting stage for this model." 

The health care experience of Hispanic patients with serious illness: A literature reviewCAPC press release; 2/10/25CAPC conducted a literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles indexed in PubMed to understand the health care experience of Hispanic patients with serious illness, and their families and unpaid caregivers. [Please click on the link above for the literature review of 200+ journal articles and 14 key findings.]

UnitedHealth drops dismissal bid in US suit over Amedisys deal Bloomberg Law; by Justin Wise; 2/6/25 (additional subscription may be required)UnitedHealth Group Inc. is withdrawing its motion to dismiss the Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking to block its $3.3 billion acquisition of home-health and hospice services provider Amedisys Inc. and planning to fight the case at trial. In a Wednesday [2/5/25] filing in the US District Court for the District of Maryland, UnitedHealth and Amedisys said that new information provided by the Justice Department eliminated the basis for its request to toss the case at a preliminary stage. The firms previously argued the DOJ was withholding key geographic market information integral to its claim that the tie-up would stifle competition ...

Volunteer and her 3 dogs provide joy through Hospice of the Valley's pet therapy program AZCentral; by Lin Sue Flood, Hospice of the Valley; 2/7/25 Marian Wallace loves dogs and loves volunteering, so she put the two together to provide joy to others. [Her] three adorable Labradors — Mattie, Harper and Richey — are the newest members of Hospice of the Valley’s pet therapy program. They visit youngsters at Ryan House, which provides respite support to families with medically fragile children. ... Marian joined Hospice of the Valley’s pet therapy program was about 10 years ago. A friend who had a therapy pet inspired her to rescue and train dogs. She began visiting hospice patients with her first two labs, Shiloh and Amy. ... “It’s that child-animal interaction that I find so incredible,” she said. ... One of the most endearing qualities she sees in all of her Labs is how intuitive they are, tapping into the moods and emotions of children to comfort them. ... Editor's note: Ensuring pet therapy training and certification is crucial, for both the pet and the owner. Click here for an extensive national list of Pet Therapy Organizations. If you have--or plan to provide--a pet therapy program, be sure that insurance is provided (by the pet therapy organization and/or by you) in case an incident occurs. 

Researchers outline new research priorities in neuropalliative care UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC; by Winnie K. Lau, MD and David Y. Hwang, MD2/7/25... An emerging field, termed “neuropalliative care,” has taken shape over the past few years to help provide impactful, holistic care for patients with serious neurological disease. And now, experts in the field are seeking ways to improve the overall wellbeing of their patients and loved ones through the power of research. ... A special communication in JAMA Neurology, first-authored by Winnie K. Lau, MD, a neurocritical care physician and associate professor of neurology and senior-authored by David Y. Hwang, MD, professor of neurology and division chief of neurocritical care, describes needed research that can help advance patient care, including:

Bristol Hospice acquires St. Agatha Comfort Care Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 2/6/25 Bristol Hospice has acquired St. Agatha Comfort Care in Las Vegas for an undisclosed amount. ... Bristol is a portfolio company of the private equity firm Webster Equity Partners. The company operates 64 locations across 25 states, employing more than 3,000 professionals. The hospice provider has indeed been on a growth trajectory. In June 2024, Bristol Hospice acquired Mississippi-based Mid-Delta Hospice, a move that marked its entry into that state. Bristol has been a prolific buyer in the M&A market during the past five years, but more recently it has leaned harder into its de novo strategy. In August of last year, Bristol Hospice opened four new locations within a single week in three different states.

Kroger partners with Express Scripts to expand pharmacy services Becker's Hospital Review; by Alexandra Murphy; 2/6/25 Cincinnati-based Kroger Health has reached a new agreement with Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefit services arm of Evernorth, to provide access to prescription medications and health services at the Kroger Family of Pharmacies for Express Scripts Customers. Under the new agreement, the Kroger Family of Pharmacies will resume serving customers in Express Scripts' Medicare Part D and Tricare/Department of Defense plans, according to a Feb. 5 Kroger news release. This comes after Kroger ended its contract with Express Scripts in September of 2022, after months of unsuccessful negotiations over a new agreement. 

Learning from death: New memoir If We Never Meet Again imparts lessons from working with hospice patientsThe MarCom Journal, Charleston, SC; by Globe Newswire; 2/6/25While the topic of death is generally considered taboo, English teacher turned hospice administrator Matthew Cornett believes there is much to be learned from death. After becoming an empty nester, Cornett left the classroom behind and began a second career in hospice care. And the more time he spent with people as they approached the end of their life, the more he realized that their deaths had meaning. And what emerged from those final moments was something profound. Hoping to make others feel more comfortable when it comes to preparing for and talking about death, he presents a memoir of his journey into the world of hospice care. In If We Never Meet Again, Cornett chronicles his experiences providing compassion and support to hospice patients while adjusting to his new role. Finding inspiration in his patient’s “death stories,” he found himself on an unexpected path of self-discovery. Cornett’s personal reflections on these intimate and emotional interactions encourage readers to reconsider how they view death and dying.