Literature Review

NHPCO Celebrates the life of Dr. Bernice Catherine HarperNHPCO press release; 7/11/24The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the NAHC-NHPCO Alliance mourn the recent passing of Dr. Bernice Catherine Harper, MSW, MScPH, LLD, and celebrate her remarkable life of leadership and service to our professional community and the world. Dr. Harper’s lifelong leadership had profound and lasting positives impact across social work; hospice care; and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).

Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation receives $1.2 million impact grant Cision PR Newswire; by Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation; 7/8/24The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNF) is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a transformative $1.2 million impact grant from the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC). The Sandra Lee Schafer Impact Grant, given in memory of the late Sandra Lee Schafer, MN, RN, AOCN®, will empower HPNF to create a legacy of sustainable giving, which will impact the hospice and palliative care community for years to come. "We are deeply honored and grateful to receive this impact grant from HPCC, given in tribute of Sandy," said Virginia (Ginger) Marshall, MSN, ACNP-BC, ACHPN®, FPCN, chief executive officer of HPNF. ... Sandra was an unwavering advocate of specialty nursing certification. Following a stellar nursing career, Sandra served as the director of credentialing of the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center from 2004 until her sudden passing in 2018.

20 solutions for navigating nonprofit board member conflicts Forbes; by Forbes Nonprofit Council; 7/5/24 A nonprofit's board members guide the organization in the right direction. But with any diverse group of people working together, disagreements and conflicts are inevitable. When these conflicts arise, it's important to have strategies in place to maintain effective board management. To help, 20 Forbes Nonprofit Council members explain how boards can navigate conflict and turn disagreements into opportunities. With these tips, your nonprofit board will be on its way to growth and stronger governance.

'I'm as happy as I've been in my life,' says aid worker Simon Boas as he faces deathBBC News; 7/4/24 In September 2023, Simon Boas was diagnosed with throat cancer. Aged just 46, he was told the disease was terminal, and that it would ultimately take his life. Over the following year, he knitted together his reflections on life into a book - A Beginner's Guide to Dying. The book is set to hit the shelves in October. It will be a posthumous publication. In what he expects to be one of his final interviews, Simon spoke to Emma Barnett on the Today Programme, offering his reflections on life and death as he moved into hospice care. "My pain is under control and I'm terribly happy - it sounds weird to say, but I'm as happy as I've ever been in my life.I used to think I'd rather be hit by the proverbial bus, but having a couple of months knowing this is coming has really helped me both do the boring 'death-min', but also get my thoughts and prepare myself, and feel so accepting of what's to come.It's been such a great bonus, actually. The book is called A Beginner's Guide to Dying, but really what I'm trying to convey is how enjoying life to the full kind of prepares you for this. ... I spent my life as an aid worker - quite a lot with the UN - and I've lived in places where death is something that not just exists in the background, but is imminently possible."Editor's Note: Click on the title's link to continue reading this inspirational story. Simon's book--to be published posthumously--is available for pre-orders on Amazon.com in Audible formats with Simon as the narrator.

Apply now for AHA’s 2025 Circle of Life Award recognizing end-of-life and hospice care providersAmerican Hospital Association press release; 5/30/24Applications are open through July 24 for AHA’s 2025 Circle of Life Award, which recognizes hospitals and health systems that advance end-of-life and hospice care that is safe, timely, efficient, effective and equitable. There will be up to three recipients of the award, and Citations of Honor may also be presented to other noteworthy programs.

[Four-day workweeks:] A flexibility trend gaining steam in nursing Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Erica Carbajal; 6/26/24 A growing number of health systems are embracing  four-day workweeks for nurse leaders — a strategy that has helped some boost recruitment, retention and staff engagement. Over the past year, the needs and well-being of nurse managers have come into focus, with hospitals and health systems taking a closer look at how to best support them in addition to bedside nurses. Survey findings have indicated nurse managers have a hard time fully disconnecting from work, and they crave much of the same work environment factors that front-line nurses do, such as the ability to take time off when needed and work-life balance support. As such, four-day schedules have increasingly become part of the conversation at many hospitals and health systems. 

Proven tips for recruiting top talentTCN Talks; by Tina Houser; 6/26/24 We train for many events in life, like spelling bees and marathons. We also need to train the person interviewing candidates. Our interviewers are critical in selecting the right candidates who contribute to the company’s success and overall culture. Interviewers need training and essential resources to conduct effective and fair interviews in order to choose the best overall talent. ... There are five key elements to training interviewers. They range from simple to more complex but they are all equally important.

7 of the top tech and IT jobs in demand for the future TechTarget; by David Weldon; 6/24/24 Businesses of the future will rely on workers with IT skills even more than they do today. Find out which jobs might be most in demand and what those roles entail. ... Organizations are having to create new tech roles and redefine existing ones to manage the integration of AI and data into core business functions. Meanwhile, cybersecurity continues to be a top concern, as do digital transformation and cloud computing. These challenges are increasing the demand for job roles that merge technical expertise with strategic business acumen. ... So, what will be some of the hottest IT jobs of the future? ... Roles are listed in alphabetical order. 

'We may not ever be fully staffed': Health system C-suites plan for the future Becker's Hospital Review - Leadership & Management; by Laura Dyrda; 6/24/24 After the pandemic, most healthcare leaders experienced a "great resignation" as workers left for other service industries and ever since health systems have been dealing with a lack of skilled labor to backfill the vacancies. "As we have realized we may not ever be fully staffed to the degree we were pre-COVID, we now must augment our existing workforce with technology that extends their capabilities," said Mark Moseley, MD, president of USF Tampa General Physicians and executive vice president of Tampa General Hospital. "This is a two-part challenge. First, we need to deploy technology thoughtfully with sound blocking and tackling, which is expensive in both time and capital. Second, we must train our workforce to use these new technologies to aid them in their daily responsibilities in a manner that does not diminish the ethos of why many of us went into healthcare: the interactions with patients and members of the healthcare team." Physicians and nurses can fall on a wide spectrum of excitement or distaste for incorporating technology into their practice. Some may find it impersonal and challenging to understand while others see it as a tool boosting their capacity. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

From C-suite to scrubs, CEO takes a walk in employees' shoes Becker's Hospital Review - Leadership & Management; by Madeline Ashley; 6/20/24 Todd Forkel, CEO of Altru Health System in Grand Forks, N.D., quite literally knows what it's like to walk in his colleagues shoes, and it's all because of a program called "Shadow Me, Todd." Mr. Forkel has been CEO of Altru for more than two years, but has been in healthcare for 32 years with 13 years of CEO experience. A nonprofit health system, Altru comprises around 3,400 employees, including more than 300 providers across 65 care specialties. ... In the program, Mr. Forkel will shadow a different colleague two to four times a month, typically in the morning or afternoon. 

NAHC, NHPCO ink deal completing affiliation Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/18/24 The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) have announced the completion of their affiliation agreement. The affiliation joins two of the largest organizations representing, educating and advocating for home health and hospice providers that serve millions of disabled, elderly and dying Americans across the country. Board chairs and c-suite executives at NAHC and NHPCO recently met in Washington D.C. to ink the deal. The affiliation is rooted in a shared belief that unification will benefit their respective members and ultimately the patients and families they serve, according to NAHC President and CEO William Dombi.  

Mt. Hood Hospice honors women veterans with event NewsBreak; by Brit Allen; 6/15/24 On Wednesday, June 12, Jolie Phanton, community outreach director for the organization took Mt. Hood’s veterans services a step further with a National Women Veterans Recognition Day celebration at Clackamas County Bank. The event featured a presentation on the history of women’s involvement in American-involved conflicts, as far back as the Revolutionary War up to current day. She spoke about how women have for a long time served as nurses, supply distributers, informants, and before they were allowed to fight alongside men, some disguised themselves as men and risked their lives on the battlefield. Women have also played many other roles in the military over the past 200 years. [Click on the title's link to read more.]Editor's Note: While we have highlighted various hospice veterans' stories, this brings fresh insights, information, and ideas. Thank you, Mt. Hood Hospice!

AAHPM CMO Joe Rotella: Hospice does not exist to save money Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/17/24Dr. Joe Rotella, chief medical officer of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), calls on hospices to maintain their core principles amid a churning sea of regulatory and economic changes. Rotella began his medical career as a primary care physician in a small, rural town in central New Hampshire, where he stayed for 12 years [followed by serving Hospice & Palliative Care of Louisville, KY/Hosparus as Chief Medical director for 15 years]. ... Now, Rotella will soon retire from AAHPM. Hospice News sat down with Rotella to discuss the ways hospice and palliative care have changed during his tenure in the space, as well as the forces shaping the field’s future. ...