Literature Review

ECHO report exposes deadly toll of homelessness in Austin CBS Austin, TX; by Abigail Velez; 1/10/25 A report released this week by Austin's Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (Austin ECHO) revealed the human cost of the city's growing homelessness crisis. The report, analyzing six years of data, found that a staggering 1,010 unhoused individuals died in Austin between 2018 and 2023. Their average age of death: is just 50 years old, a full 20 years younger than their housed counterparts. ... The report offered a number of concrete recommendations, including: ... Develop a medical triage team to connect vulnerable individuals with appropriate care, including respite care, long-term care, substance use treatment, and hospice.

3 nurse specialties with highest, lowest pay Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 1/13/25 From January through July 2024, staff registered nurses involved in direct patient care saw their median base pay increase by 2%, compared to 1.4% for those in indirect patient care. However, RNs involved in direct and indirect patient care were poised for annual increases of 3% to 4% to close out 2024. ... The survey includes six-month percentage change data from January through July 2024. It is based on data from more than 700 participating organizations, representing approximately 358,000 individuals across over 115 nursing roles, including RNs, nursing managers and licensed practical nurses. [Click on the title's link for this important data.]

Health systems: It's time to break up with short-termism Becker's Hospital Review; by Molly Gamble; 1/10/25Health systems begin 2025 emerging from a half-decade of crisis management. Now is the time for executive teams to lift their heads from quarterly survival and make bets on their long-term future. ... In recent years, a number of leaders, including those within health systems, openly declared their departure from 10-year strategic plans. Even five-year outlooks are considered ambitious, some argued. Agility and short-term performance is sometimes hailed as the hallmark of savvy leaders, while long-term vision risks being dismissed as impractical or naive. This mindset may have served its purpose during the stop-and-go nature of the pandemic, but risks leaving organizations flat-footed and without a defined strategy for what could come next. Teams may feel the shift. The return of competitive, distinct and long-term plans will require systems' executive teams and boards to revive organizational muscles that may have lain dormant through years of crisis response. 

Hospice centers: Balancing comfort and controversy Crossroads Today, Victoria, TX; by Amaya Norman; 1/9/25 Hospice centers play a critical role in providing care for patients with terminal illnesses, focusing on comfort, dignity, and peace during life's most challenging moments. These centers are designed to support both patients and their families, but public opinions about their services often vary. ... While many see hospice centers as an essential support system offering much-needed relief and care, others express concerns about the quality of services or the emotional toll they can bring to families. These differing perspectives have sparked ongoing discussions about the role and perception of hospice care in society.

Hospice CEO’s top predictions for 2025 Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/10/25Hospice News spoke with a group of industry leaders about the most pressing market forces and trends that will shape the space during 2025. Their comments carried some common threads, including rising demand for care in the home, continued labor pressures, industry consolidation and intensifying regulatory scrutiny. They also spoke about the need for greater integration of hospice into the larger health care continuum and the benefits of operators broadening their scope of services. During these conversations, four key themes rose to the forefront for the coming year.

When drugstores disappear: Why nearly 15,000 Bostonians live in ‘pharmacy deserts’Boston Globe; by Diti Kohli, Tiana Woodard, Daigo Fujiwara-Smith, Thomas Lee; 7/25/24Many of these dead zones overlap with vulnerable communities — already poorer, sicker, and less well-resourced than the rest of the state. Where do patients go? ... Since 2017, at least 26 pharmacies have closed in Boston, and about 200 shuttered statewide, according to data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. State estimates show that a comparable number have since opened, though they rarely serve the same communities. Often left behind are so-called pharmacy deserts, pockets of the city where the majority of residents live at least a half-mile from the nearest drugstore, and lack cars to make the trip. A Globe analysis found that almost 15,000 people in Boston live in such deserts, without a reliable place to go for prescriptions, over-the-counter treatments, and medical advice. Many of these dead zones overlap with vulnerable communities — already poorer, sicker, and less well resourced than the rest of the state.Publisher's note: While a little dated, this article recently came across my desk and reinforced "new year's discussions" of pharmacy deserts - and hospice deserts. More to follow on this in 2025...

Iowa Finance Authority okays more than $500,000 for North Iowa homeless assistance [$66k to Cedar Valley Hospice] KIMT3 News, Des Moines, IO; by Mike Bunge; 1/9/24 Over $500,000 in grants from the Iowa Finance Authority is going to homeless assistance programs that cover North Iowa. $18,189 will go to Community Kitchen of North Iowa, Inc. in Cerro Gordo County.  Cedar Valley Hospice covering Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Fayette, Floyd, Grundy, Howard, Mitchell, and Winneshiek counties will receive $66,565.  $474,108 will go to Primary Health Care covering [28 counties] ...

Kirva Hospice CEO: Quality begins with staff education, engagement Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/7/25 Long-time hospice CEO Cheryl Hamilton Fried has taken the helm at Kirva Hospice, a new, standalone nonprofit established by the public service organizations Jewish Family Services and Beth Shalom. Kirva serves the Richmond, Virginia, region with plans to expand into contiguous markets. ... About 16% of their patients are of the Jewish faith.Q: What are your top priorities as you take the helm at Kirva? Developing culture, that’s always been big for me. I’ve done that everywhere I’ve gone. A: Developing people, so I’ve already tapped a couple of managers to elevate to directors, as we are growing our census pretty rapidly and really identifying areas that are unmet in the community. That’s what Kirva and Jewish Family Services want to do, is look at where the gaps are in senior care.

Peter Yarrow, iconic Peter, Paul and Mary singer and former Connecticut Hospice board member, dies CT Insider; by Andrew DaRosa; 1/7/25 Peter Yarrow, one-third of the iconic folk troubadours Peter, Paul and Mary, has died at the age of 86 ... “Our fearless dragon is tired and has entered the last chapter of his magnificent life. The world knows Peter Yarrow the iconic folk activist, but the human being behind the legend is every bit as generous, creative, passionate, playful, and wise as his lyrics suggest,” Yarrow's daughter, Bethany Yarrow, said in a statement to the Associated Press. ... Yarrow frequently performed in Connecticut and was scheduled to play with Stookey in July at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook. Yarrow also performed at Connecticut Hospice in Branford, where his mother had stayed, according to a 2017 interview with Compassion and Choices. He served on the board for Connecticut Hospice for a number of years. 

Hawaiʻi Palliative and Hospice Care Collaborative forms to strengthen advanced illness care across state MauiNow - Maui News; 1/7/25 Six grassroots nonprofit hospice providers—Hawai‘i Care Choices, Hospice Maui, Kaua‘i Hospice, Navian Hawaii, North Hawai‘i Hospice, and St. Francis Hospice—have united to form the Hawai‘i Palliative and Hospice Care Collaborative, a statewide initiative leveraging decades of expertise to provide compassionate palliative and hospice care across Hawai‘i. “This Collaborative represents a new era for end-of-life care in Hawai‘i,” said Brenda S. Ho, CEO of Hawai‘i Care Choices. “By coming together, we are amplifying our voice, strengthening our resources, and ensuring that every community across our islands has access to care that honors the culture and preferences of each patient and their ‘ohana.”  

California wildfires live updates: Pacific Palisades wildfire grows rapidlyNBC News - Live Coverage; 1/7/2025What we know about the California wildfires:

Humana's 2024 in 10 headlinesBecker's Payer Issues; by Rylee Wilson; 12/31/24Here are the 10 biggest stories about Humana Becker's covered in 2024:

Bride holds emotional dress reveal at hospital for her nana — fearing she wouldn’t be there on the big day Scoop; by Baisakhi Mishra; 1/4/25 Realizing her grandmother would miss her wedding, a bride-to-be makes her way to the hospital with a surprise that will warm your soul. Grandparents eagerly wait to see their grandchildren walk down the aisle. Perhaps, for them, it's like reliving a moment they've dreamed of since they first held their grandchildren in their arms. Through every milestone and memory, the grandparents patiently watch their grandchildren grow and dream about witnessing the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Similarly, months before her wedding, Gianna Huber (@gianna on TikTok) wanted to make her ailing grandmother, Jo Ann, feel truly special. Fearing her grandma might not make it to her big day, Huber planned a heartfelt surprise—a special wedding dress reveal just for Jo Ann.