Literature Review

Understanding the influence of culture on end-of-life, palliative, and hospice care: A narrative review Cureus; by Veena Hira, Sainamitha R. Palnati, and Saajan Bhakta; 7/15/25 ... This narrative review included 25 relevant publications related to influence of culture and patient demographics on end-of-life care, hospice, and palliative care. As each culture has its own unique views on death and dying, it is crucial to note these cultural differences when assisting with end-of-life care to best align with patients’ beliefs and values. Themes such as cultural barriers, communication preferences and family roles emerged from the publications. ... This narrative review offered a snapshot of how culture influences end-of-life decisions worldwide, specifically in East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America, while highlighting themes of 1) truth disclosure and communication preferences, 2) patient autonomy and family involvement, and 3) perception of illness and death. ... Central to providing effective end-of-life care is open, culturally tailored communication that respects patients’ and families’ values, facilitated through shared decision-making discussions. ... Ultimately, integrating cultural understandings of death and dying into end-of-life care planning is not simply a matter of sensitivity, but it is a matter of quality and equity. Health systems must not only provide choices but ensure those choices are intelligible, meaningful, and respectful within the patient’s worldview.Editor's Note: Pair this today's post, My health and my politics walk into a doctor’s office …

Homewatch CareGivers president on moving into clinical care, building partnerships of the future Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwal 7/16/25 ... Denver-based Homewatch CareGivers operates in over 30 states and has 234 locations. The personal care franchise employs over 4,500 caregivers. The company’s goal to continue “filling the white space” has resulted in 20 new franchisees since 2023. Plus, Homewatch CareGivers is expanding into the clinical care space with the launch of a nursing services vertical, and through its partnerships with health systems and hospitals. Home Health Care News recently caught up with Homewatch CareGivers President Todd Houghton. During the conversation, he explained why hospitals benefit from home care partnerships, how Homewatch CareGivers is building out its clinical capabilities and how the company is utilizing AI tools.

Trump administration hands over Medicaid recipients’ personal data, including addresses, to ICE Associated Press (AP), Washington, DC; by Kimberly Kindy and Amanda Seitz; updated 7/17/25 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will be given access to the personal data of the nation’s 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses and ethnicities, to track down immigrants who may not be living legally in the United States, according to an agreement obtained by The Associated Press. The information will give ICE officials the ability to find “the location of aliens” across the country, says the agreement signed Monday [7/14] between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security. ... Such disclosures, even if not acted upon, could cause widespread alarm among people seeking emergency medical help for themselves or their children. ... The database will reveal to ICE officials the names, addresses, birth dates, ethnic and racial information, as well as Social Security numbers for all people enrolled in Medicaid. The state and federally funded program provides health care coverage program for the poorest of people, including millions of children. ... [Federal] law requires all states to offer emergency Medicaid, a temporary coverage that pays only for lifesaving services in emergency rooms to anyone, including non-U.S. citizens. Emergency Medicaid is often used by immigrants, including those who are lawfully present and those who are not.

Palliative video consultation and symptom distress among rural inpatients-A randomized clinical trialCritical Care Medicine; by Marie A. Bakitas, Shena Gazaway, Felicia Underwood, Christiana Ekelem, Vantrice T. Heard,  Richard Kennedy, Andres Azuero, Rodney Tucker, Susan McCammon, Joshua M. Hauser, Lucas McElwain, Ronit Elk; 7/25The triple threat of rural geography, racial inequities, and older age has hindered access to high-quality palliative care for many people in the US. Only 70% of the deep South vs 85% to 94% of the rest of the US has palliative care despite the deep South having the greatest needs due to suboptimal health care access and elevated morbidity and mortality. In this RCT [randomized clinical trial] among Black or African American and White chronically ill hospitalized adults, culturally based specialist palliative care video consultation was not associated with statistically significant reduced symptom distress compared with usual care, but there was a clinically meaningful difference ... between groups. Contrary to our hypotheses, intervention participants’ QOL [quality of life] and resource use (secondary outcomes) also were not improved.Assistant Editor's note: This study reminds us that palliative care delivered virtually, as opposed to in-person, may not be of benefit to some individuals. It also reminds us that palliative care, in its finest form, usually works best when delivered on an ongoing basis by a known, trusted professional(s). 

Hochul weighs political risk of aid-in-dying bill Fingerlakes1.com, Seneca Falls, NY; by Staff Report; 7/18/25 Gov. Kathy Hochul is under pressure as she considers signing New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act, a controversial bill allowing terminally ill patients access to life-ending medication, according to Politico. The bill has strong support from advocates and many voters, but faces fierce opposition from religious groups and conservatives. Hochul, a practicing Catholic eyeing reelection, must balance public opinion, personal beliefs, and political risk.

CHP Home Care & Hospice celebrating 50 years of service The Van Wert Independent, Van Wert, OH; by Greg Yinger; 7/20/25 CHP Home Care & Hospice is celebrating a half century of providing home-based health care services in northwest and west central Ohio. The non-profit, 501c3 organization was incorporated in December of 1974 and served its first patient on March 1, 1975. Dr. E. E. White, a local physician, initiated the establishment of a home health care service because Van Wert County was one of five Ohio counties at the time that lacked these services. Dr. White hired Donna Grimm, a registered nurse, and with the help of a $3,000 grant from the United Way of Van Wert County, Van Wert Area Visiting Nurses Association – later changed to Community Health Professionals (CHP) – was established.  

Two programs recognized as 2025 AHA Circle of Life Award Honorees | AHA American Hospital Association, Washington, DC; Press Release; 7/17/25 Two programs will be honored with the American Hospital Association 2025 Circle of Life Award for their efforts in palliative and end-of-life care. The winning programs are Gilchrist, Baltimore, Maryland, and Bristol Hospice – Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii. Both winners will receive this prestigious recognition during the AHA’s Leadership Summit in Nashville on July 20-22. The Circle of Life Award honors hospital and palliative care programs that are ensuring equitable access to care, implementing nontraditional models of care delivery and payment, fully integrating palliative care into a system of care or a community, making palliative care financially sustainable, developing meaningful measures and metrics to track progress, or partnering with payers, other providers, community groups and faith communities.Editor's Note: For more information,

6 health systems that faced worker strikes this month MedCity News; by Katie Adams; 7/22/25 Healthcare workers at six health systems across the country have launched strikes in July so far. These healthcare employees cite unsafe staffing levels, low wages and retaliation against union organizers as their main reasons for going on strike. From hospice centers to emergency rooms, frontline healthcare workers across the country have been striking this month to protest what they say are unsafe patient care conditions and poor bargaining behavior. Below are six examples of union activity resulting in a strike — all of which occurred in July.

Carter, Bera introduce bill to strengthen palliative and hospice care workforce United States Representative Buddy Carter, Washington, DC; Press Release; 7/17/25Reps. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) and Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA) today introduced the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA), bipartisan legislation to invest in training, education, and research for the palliative care and hospice workforce, allowing more practitioners to enter these in-demand fields. ... "As a pharmacist, I understand the toll burnout takes on the health care industry, and I am committed to bolstering the workforce so nurses, doctors, and all health care workers can continue to pursue their passion for helping others,” said Rep. Carter. "As a doctor, I know how important it is to provide patients with comfort, clarity, and support when they’re facing serious illness,” said Rep. Bera. “The Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act is a smart, bipartisan step to ensure more health care professionals are trained to deliver this kind of care."Editor's Note: Bravo to this pharmacist and physician bipartisan team for introducing this bill. Go to the article and scroll down to this press release's long list of "Supporting Organizations."

Measuring goal-concordant care using electronic clinical notesJAMA Network; by Catherine L. Auriemma, Anne Song, Lake Walsh, Jason Han, Sophia Yapalater, Alexander Bain, Lindsay Haines, Stefania Scott, Casey Whitman, Stephanie Parks Taylor, Gary E. Weissman, Matthew J. Gonzales, Roshanthi Weerasinghe, Staci J. Wendt, Katherine R. Courtright; 7/3/25In this longitudinal cohort study among 109 patients with serious illness and limited prognoses, clinicians reviewed and classified 398 epochs of care as goal concordant (50%), goal discordant (19%), or of uncertain concordance (32%) with nearly perfect interrater agreement for categorizing the type of care received. These findings suggest that using electronic clinical notes to measure goal-concordant care is feasible, laying the groundwork for future automated text-based classification methods to improve reliability and pragmatism of measuring goal-concordant care for clinical and research use at scale.

Texas flooding: Live updates and main donation linkLinks below are from CNN and the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country

Hill Country vigil draws hundreds after deadly Texas floods MYSA, San Antonio, TX; by Nicholas Hernandez; 7/11/25 ... On Thursday, July 10, hundreds gathered downtown for a Candlelight Vigil of Hope to honor those affected [by the "catastophic flood"] and shine a light on the importance of grief and mental health support in the wake of disaster. Organized by River City Advocacy in partnership with Hope Hospice and other local nonprofits, the event brought together counselors, community leaders and families. Handheld candles were distributed at the plaza, where people stood shoulder-to-shoulder in silence, prayer and remembrance. ... "If there’s one thing that New Braunfels knows, it’s how to gather and how to support each other, especially in times of flooding and tragedy," said Heather Harrison, director of development at Hope Hospice and Hope Hospice Foundation.Editor's Note: Thank you Hope Hospice for your leadership in providing this crucial way to gather and grieve. Calling all hospice leaders to simply "check in" on employees who have family and friends in affected areas when such crises occur. Other recent examples include Hurricanes Helene & Milton, the Los Angeles wildfires, Kentucky floods, and these Texas / New Mexico floods. Your kind, timely words can make a lasting difference.