Literature Review

A perfect strike: hospice resident relives glory days as professional bowler with special trip to Wayward Social Time-Republican; by Robert Maharry; 10/3/26 Barbara Rothman, a current resident at Iowa River Hospice, has lived an extraordinary life: she served in the U.S. Army and helped to design and create outfits for the soldier shows, and she also enjoyed a career as a professional bowler in the Newark, N.J. area many years ago. So when it was time to plan a special surprise for her through IRH's "Making Moments Matter" program, the answer was simple: she just wanted to go bowling one last time. [See inspirational photo]

Dancing with the Stars returns for annual Hospice fundraiser Richmond County Daily Journal, Rockingham, NC; by Ana Corral; 10/1/26 Richmond County Hospice’s annual Taste of the Sandhills & Dancing with the Stars fundraiser returned Saturday, bringing dancers and community members together for an evening of fundraising. Before audience members entered the auditorium, Jeff Smart, partner and owner of Mabry’s Drug & Home Care, shared that Hospice had already raised around $79,000. “We’re so proud we can be the main event sponsor again with Dancing With The Stars as we have for so many years,” Smart said. At the end of the night, Smart shared that the final amount raised had not yet been determined but estimated the total was under $90,000.

Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties brings veterans together for a salute to servicefocusmedia, Montgomery, NY; Client News; 9/30/26 Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties brought veterans, families and community members together on September 23 for a Veterans Brunch: A Salute to Service at The American Grill at Stony Ford Golf Course in Thomas Bull Memorial Park. The gathering honored local veterans and provided an opportunity to share experiences, form connections and learn about available support.With the surrounding mountains in view on a bright fall morning, attendees exchanged stories across generations and branches of service. Before the panel discussion, the program featured a medley of military service songs, with veterans standing for their branches.

Hundreds reach out after beloved artist Phil Ponder enters hospice careThe Tennessean, Nashville, TN; by Brad Schmitt and Andy Humbles; 9/26/26Phil Ponder started writing a love letter to Nashville in the 1980s with his popular watercolor paintings of the downtown skyline. When he entered hospice care in early September at 93, the city he has spent decades celebrating has been sending that love back. Family members have brightened his days by reading from the hundreds of tributes from friends and loved ones whose lives Ponder has enriched. ... On Sept. 25, several Metro Council members opened the Phil Ponder Conference Room, which has more than 10 Ponder artwork prints on the walls. 

Dr. Martin McCormack: The healthcare leader connecting education, governance and a safer world Global Healthcare Magazine; September 2026 issue Long before he held a title [Chief Executive Officer of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland], ... Dr. Martin McCormack sat with families in the hardest hours of their lives, [as a palliative care physician, trauma counselor with patients and families in intensive care, supervising a team of 36 medical social workers, developing bereavement services. ... He measures his own leadership less by what has been delivered in any one period than by the capability it leaves behind. ... Dr. McCormack has been asking some version of the same question that has remained consistent throughout his career: What does this person need from the system around them, and how do we build it so it holds?

Honoring 9-2-5 Day (9/25): Dolly Parton teams with Kelly Clarkson for "9 to 5" remake

Finger Lakes Nurse Honor Guard gives late nurses a final tribute Democrat and Chronicle; by Mike Murphy; 9/21/26 As Ruth Benjamin was getting ready to retire after more than 50 years in nursing, two of her colleagues passed away. ... Nursing is a calling and a way of life, Benjamin said by way of explanation, and many like her and her colleague gave everything they had to their profession. ... After some research, Benjamin founded the Finger Lakes Nurse Honor Guard, which celebrates its third anniversary in October. The all-volunteer honor guard ensures that late nurses are recognized, in a similar way that honor guards pay tribute to late military or first responders. ... The service is free.Editor's Note: Though this article is behind a paywall, you can learn more about this inspirational Finger Lakes Nurse Honor Guard from their website.

Loved ones remembered with release of 1,000 monarch butterflies The Courier, Waterloo, IA; by Maria Kuiper; 9/15/26 A break in the clouds Sunday seemed too good to be true as 1,000 monarch butterflies were released during Cedar Valley Hospice’s Release and Remember event. Despite the rain, about 2,000 people showed up for the fundraiser event where butterflies could be bought and dedicated to loved ones that died during hospice care. ... “Butterflies represent to so many people that transformation between one life and the other because they’re literally going through that transformation,” Suzanne Benda, Cedar Valley Hospice’s chief growth officer, said. “I think it does show that, I mean, what a special moment as they come out and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is playing and we see the butterflies start to take off.”

SSM Health donates $25,000 to help Central Missourians with hardship assistance News Tribune; by Jennifer Pallikkathayil; 9/15/26 SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital has donated $25,000 to the In Time of Need Foundation to help Central Missourians with basic needs during a significant medical event. The In Time of Need Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Phoenix Home Care and Hospice, which has a location in Jefferson City and offers home health care and hospice services. The foundation was created to help people get through significant or catastrophic medical events by assisting with basic needs, such as rent or a hotel stay while receiving surgery in another city or a working air conditioner for a cancer patient, said Greg Kelley, vice president of operations at Phoenix Home Care and Hospice.

[Hospice bereavement director] A non-anxious presence: Red Cross volunteer supports Flight 93 families and responders American Red Cross; video interview with Patti Anewalt, PhD; 9/1/26 [Dr. Patti Anewalt is the retired director of Hospice and Community Care's Pathways Center for Grief and Loss, Mount Joy / Lancaster, Pensylvania. Of note, her hospice organization supported her volunteer time in this crucial Red Cross disaster mental health role.] When Patti Anewalt first learned about the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, she immediately sensed her phone might ring. At the time, Patti was an American Red Cross volunteer in Central Pennsylvania and an experienced grief counselor [whose PhD was in trauma]. As coworkers gathered around televisions to watch events unfold, she told her boss she thought she would be called to respond. She was right. The next day, Patti was deployed to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where United Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville ... For two weeks, she worked alongside fellow Red Cross volunteers, supporting victims' families, disaster workers and responders as they navigated one of the most tragic moments in American history. ... As family members arrived in Pennsylvania, many visited the crash site for the first time. Some were unsure whether they even wanted to go. ... "Whenever we're teaching in hospice, we say we're a non-anxious presence at a very difficult time in people's lives," she said. "The role I had there was no different than my day role at hospice because it's just being a non-anxious presence to people who are in the worst time in their lives and being present for them." ...Editor's Note: Many readers know Patti--both as faithful friend and for her prolific leadership teaching about trauma, grief, and hospice organization's appropriate (and not appropriate) responses to community tragedies, especially in the years following 9/11. Patti led NHPCO's professional Bereavement Group to be the most active, growing group during her 6-year volunteer tenure. Patti was a regular reader of our newsletter until her well-deserved, recent retirement.

Inspiring a culture of ownership through mutual accountability-A health care system's approach to connecting bedside expertise with boardroom strategyNursing Management; by Torry Robinson, Stuart Downs; 8/26A health care system's approach to integrating the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Healthy Work Environment (HWE) standards across organizational levels demonstrates a replicable pathway for aligning bedside expertise with boardroom strategy, an essential linkage in organizational strategic planning. This article describes one health care system's 3-year journey in embedding the HWE framework throughout the deployment of the nursing strategy. Following operationalization of HWE as a component of the nursing strategic framework, the health care system achieved sustained improvement across all domains of the Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool (HWEAT), bolstering an organizational commitment to continuously improve and measure practice-environment health. This transparent, high-visibility approach emphasizes accountability from the Chief Nurse Executive to frontline nurses, underpinning a shared commitment that aligns clinical practice with organizational strategy. Organizations that embed HWE into their nursing strategic plan empower nurses at every level to shape and share ownership of the practice environment.

Dolly Parton’s 10 leadership lessons for business executives Forbes; by Edward Segal; 8/27/26 Dolly Parton, who [recently died] at age 80, demonstrated her expertise in managing and communicating about a crisis. She also leaves behind several leadership lessons for business executives. ...

Sagility volunteers host back-to-school Event for Hospice El Paso's Butterfly Program Cision PRWeb, El Paso, TX; by Sagility; 9/3/26 Sagility, a leading tech-enabled healthcare operations and transformation company, recently hosted a volunteer-led back-to-school picnic for children and families connected to Hospice El Paso's Butterfly Program. The event brought together local families, community partners, and Sagility employees to help students prepare for the upcoming school year. ... Hospice El Paso's Butterfly Program provides specialized pediatric and perinatal hospice care, emotional support, and resources for families facing serious illness, end-of-life care, or loss. Hosting the event reflects Sagility's broader dedication to giving back to the regions where its employees live and work.Editor's Note: A back-to-school picnic sounds simple — until you consider that these children and families are living with serious illness, end-of-life care, or loss through the Butterfly Program's pediatric and perinatal hospice care. Sagility's volunteers didn't just fund it; they showed up, in person, restoring an ordinary joy that grief so often steals. Which local employer in your community could become this kind of partner — not just a donor, but a familiar face at your next family event?