Literature Review

The slow goodbye: navigating life when staring mortality in the face KOMO News; by Kelly Koopman; 7/22/26 Peter Mongillo doesn’t shy away from the cold, hard fact: He is dying. In June 2025, Mongillo was diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer. He was given a 25% chance of surviving one year. Yet one year after that devastating diagnosis, the former television news photojournalist and father of two sat down with us to discuss life, death, and how he’s navigated the journey of reckoning with his own mortality. ... “It's life," Mongillo told KOMO News Anchor and former coworker Kelly Koopmans. "Life is death, and as morbid as that may sound, we are all born, and we all die. It's something you can embrace and be a part of the journey," Mongillo added. "It's not the journey I necessarily wanted, but it's the journey that's chosen me, and I have to accept it." ... In this extended interview, Peter explained how he has lived with joy over the last year, how he navigated his illness as a father, and why he says the time he’s been granted has given him a chance to say a slow goodbye to everything and everyone he loves.

Religious scripts for dying The Christian Century; by Aaron Klink; 7/20/26 Travis Pickell explores the moral burden placed on those who face end-of-life medical decisions but lack communal support. Amid much conversation about end-of-life care—its methods, costs, and ethics—there is little sustained attention to the question of why this subject generates so much political and moral controversy. The blame is sometimes placed on advances in medical technologies (such as ventilators and artificial nutrition and hydration) or in treatments (such as kidney dialysis and aggressive chemotherapy). But the reality is more complicated, argues Travis Pickell in Burdened Agency - Christian Theology and End-of-Life Ethics. ... Pickell devotes much of the book to exploring various theological understandings of death and outlining the “scripts for dying” created by each theology. 

Empath Health Mobile Simulation RV gives summer camp students hands-on look at healthcare careers Pasco Hernando State College (PHSC); Press Release; 7/16/26 Today, Empath Health Clinical Specialist, MJ Schwartz, Workforce Innovation & Academic Partnerships brought their Mobile Simulation Unit to Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch Health Care Discovery Summer Camp on Thursday, July 16, giving middle and high school students a hands-on introduction to health  care careers through interactive clinical simulations and team-based problem solving. The 31-foot Mobile Simulation RV hosted 28 campers, ages 11 to 18, who rotated through the unit in small groups. Students explored health care training equipment, learned basic patient care concepts and participated in a medical “escape room”-style activity designed to build critical thinking and collaboration skills while introducing real-world healthcare scenarios.

Community gathers to strike out cancer and honor loved ones during awareness event WUFT | PBS/NPR, Gainesville, FL; by Curan Ahern; 7/12/26 Just over one year ago, Corey Williams received the news everyone dreads: a loved one being diagnosed with cancer. A local artist, poet, videographer and father of four, Williams found out in May 2025 his fiancée, Iya Burkett, had cancer. Within a month, Williams saw the disease rapidly progress. ... Williams faced one of the worst realities a man can experience: Burkett died, and he was not prepared. ... Williams also lost his mother to cancer three years prior, leaving him to face the world without the two most important women in his life. After wrestling with the losses, he planned community events to commemorate his loved ones, raise awareness and start uncomfortable conversations about preparedness — conversations that often need to be had but are avoided. ... Along with friends and family, members of Haven Hospice’s bereavement program, Healing Hearts, showed up to support Williams and his family. Burkett worked for Haven Hospice for 13 years, and the organization helped Williams transition into life without his fiancée. 

Mi Casa Hospice Alzheimer’s awareness event brings community together through education and compassion Alice Echo News Journal, Alice, TX; by Pete Vasquez; 6/29/26 Education, compassion, and community came together during the recent Mi Casa Hospice Alzheimer’s Awareness Event, where healthcare professionals, local businesses, caregivers, and community members united with one shared purpose—to raise awareness and support families affected by Alzheimer’s disease. ... Mi Casa Hospice emphasized that when healthcare providers, local businesses, community organizations, and residents work together, they can make a lasting difference in the lives of those impacted by Alzheimer’s disease.

Scam alerts issued as fraudsters target Washington Parish residents The Bogalusa Daily News, Bogalusa, LA; by Kim Gerald; 6/26/26 Washington Parish residents are being urged to remain vigilant as several scams continue to circulate throughout the area, targeting individuals through phone calls, text messages and emails. Local authorities and healthcare providers have recently issued warnings about multiple fraud schemes designed to steal money and personal information from unsuspecting victims. One of the latest alerts comes from Riverside Medical Center, which is warning Medicare recipients about scammers offering free medical equipment or healthcare services. ... Officials caution that hospice scams can be especially damaging because victims may unknowingly be enrolled in hospice care, potentially affecting their access to regular Medicare benefits.

Knowledge of advance care planning and advance directives among US adults: Implications for health policy and practicePalliative Care & Social Practice; by Anisah Bagasra, Gretchen Agans; 5/26Advance care planning (ACP) is the process of identifying and communicating values and goals in preparation for future shared decision-making in medical settings. Decisions are legally supported by an advance directive (AD) document designating healthcare agent(s) and future medical treatment preferences. Although important, ACP engagement in the United States remains low. Findings indicate persistent gaps in ACP and AD literacy among US adults, along with misconceptions about access, time, and costs that may be contributing to low engagement. Increasing public education and expanding access to knowledgeable professionals may help reduce barriers and promote more equitable engagement in ACP.

High schooler shares final milestone with Dad after hospice nurses help him organize bedside graduation ceremony People; by Abigail Adams; 6/12/26 A dad got to watch his son graduate from high school just days before he died in hospice care. Brad Case was put into hospice care after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer, according to WPTA. So, his son Braden Case, a senior at Hamilton Junior Senior High School in Hamilton, Ind., did what he could to make sure his dad could see him graduate. Braden worked with nurses to put together the improvised graduation ceremony at Brad's bedside. A photo taken from the special moment, shared by WPTA, showed Braden in his blue cap and gown while standing by his father's side. Braden told WPTA that Brad had always been there for his big moments in life, and he wanted to ensure his dad witnessed this one.

HopeHealth receives $200K grant to expand community engagement efforts Providence Business News, Providence, RI; by PBN Staff; 6/7/26 HopeHealth, the second-oldest hospice organization in the country, says it has received a $200,000 grant from Papitto Opportunity Connection to support the launch of a new community engagement program aimed at connecting underserved people with grief support, palliative care services and end-of-life care through hospice. The aims of the new program include building awareness of the benefits of palliative care, hospice, grief support and family caregiver support.

Pastor-endorsed hospice education increases willingness to accept hospice among African American congregants in rural North Carolina American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Tiffany D. Morris, DNP, MS, Ed, MSN, CNE; 5/28/26 ... This preliminary quality improvement project evaluated a culturally tailored, pastor-endorsed hospice education intervention in two African American Baptist churches (n = 49). Guided by humanistic nursing theory, pastors used the African American Outreach Guide for End-of-Life Care to dispel myths and explain hospice services. Willingness to accept hospice (AARP End of Life Survey) increased from 60.4% to 93.6% (51.7% relative increase), and uncertainty decreased from 39.6% to 6.4% (84.2% reduction).

By the Bay Health recognized as 2026 Golden Bell Honoree for Innovative Healthcare Workforce Development Program ByTheBayHealth.org News, Larkspur, CA; by Sarah Robertson; 5/27/26 By the Bay Health has been named a 2026 Golden Bell Honoree by the Marin County Office of Education (MCOE) and the Marin County School Boards Association (MCSBA) in recognition of its Pathways to Care Careers initiative ... The award recognizes By the Bay Health’s longstanding partnership with Marin County schools and its commitment to expanding access to healthcare career education for high school and college students. A key component of the initiative is the Introduction to the World of Healthcare course at San Marin High School. Funded by private donations to By the Bay Health, the course is taught by a By the Bay Health clinician and clinical guest lecturers through a partnership with the Marin County Office of Education.Editor's Note: Congratulations on this innovative partnership and investment in future healthcare professionals. May this intergenerational model inspire other healthcare organizations to help cultivate the next generation of compassionate care.

Nurse and provider perceptions of palliative care Nursing Management; by Eydie Tipton, Tracy Viers, and Chelsea Wilson; 5/1/26 Conclusions: Findings suggest that knowledge gaps may not be the primary barrier to palliative care (PC) utilization. Instead, systemic and cultural factors likely contribute to under-referral. Leadership-driven strategies, including standardized referral processes, enhanced interprofessional education, and supportive clinical environments, may help translate knowledge into consistent practice.Editor's Note: Yes, real persons are behind each research article we post. Read this community's pride in the palliative care nurses of Quincy, IL behind this study. Eydie, Tracy and Chelsea saw a need, developed a research project, and saw it through to publication: National journal publishes palliative care research by area nurses.

Palliative care education boosts assisted living staff confidence, care quality for residents with dementiaMcKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 5/27/26...  Most assisted living staff members currently say they lack the training to engage in advance care planning, according to the researchers. The National Institutes of Health, which funded [this] study, said that the palliative care education intervention studied has the potential to be delivered more broadly among assisted living communities and could be vital in addressing workforce challenges in providing high-quality palliative and end-of-life care there.