Literature Review

Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard announces leadership change MVTimes.com, Martha's Vineyard, MA; by The Martha's Vineyard Times; 7/16/25 After a productive five years at the helm of Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard (HPCMV), Executive Director Cathy Wozniak, MPH, MBA, announced that she will retire on Dec. 31, 2025, ending her 40-plus years serving hospices and healthcare across the country. “My proudest moments were making sure HPCMV obtained Medicare certification, allowing it to better serve more people on this Island,” Cathy said, “and helping our talented staff create long-term strategy and a succession plan.” The board has unanimously selected Chantale Patterson, RN, BSN, as HPCMV’s next executive director. Chantale, who has served as the organization’s clinical director for the past eight years, said she is “grateful for this opportunity to lead HPCMV’s next chapter of service to Martha’s Vineyard patients and their families, increasing Islanders’ understanding of Hospice’s services and achieving sustainable growth.”

With new facility, Mourning Dove Grief Care expands help for survivors of loss Oil City News, Casper, WY; by Dan Cepe; 7/16/25 Death can be natural, or it can be cruel and unexpected. It is, however, an inevitable part of the human experience that can affect survivors in countless ways possibly for the remainder of their lives. ... Mourning Dove Grief Care, a service by Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions, aims to provide that help to members of the community.  ... The [new] facility will allow anyone in the community suffering from loss to walk in and schedule appointments or join a support group, whether they’ve gone through Hospice or not. The program itself started when Hospice noted the need for grief care in the community, particularly for people suffering from sudden losses. “Interestingly enough, we found that even therapists and counselors were referring to us when they had clients dealing with loss,” she said. 

Hospice group seeks $500K to avoid closure after facility shutdown Ottumwa Courier, Ottumwa, IO; by Kyle Ocker; 7/14/25 Hospice House has now permanently closed, and the nonprofit that ran it — along with in-home services — may shutter as well without an immediate cash infusion of at least a half-million dollars. Tara Conley, executive director of Hospice Serving Davis and Wapello Counties, told The Courier the nonprofit urgently needs donations in the next 30 days to remain operational. She said a phased approach is planned to eventually find a new home and grow the service area to build a sustainable future for the organization, which has served the region since 1982. But for now, the group is calling on the community for help.

St. Croix Hospice opens four new locations in second quarter 2025 PR Newswire, Mendota Heights, MN; by St. Croix Hospice; 7/15/25 St. Croix Hospice expanded in the second quarter of 2025 with the opening of four additional branches across three states. The new locations include:

World Hospice & Palliative Care Day 2025 Achieving the Promise: Universal access to palliative care ehospice; by Stephen Connor; 7/7/25 This year we celebrate the 20th anniversary of World Hospice & Palliative Care Day (World Day). ... World Day is organised by the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance each second Saturday in October, this year on 11 October 2025, on behalf of the global palliative care community, including international, national, and regional palliative care organisations such as the IAHPC, ICPCN, PallCHASE, APCA, EAPC, ALCP, APHN, and including national organisations such as the IAPC. ... This year’s theme, Achieving the Promise: Universal Access to Palliative Care, builds on last year’s to explore what is needed in the coming 5-10 years to build toward universal access to palliative care, especially as part of universal health coverage. The subthemes this year are:

Connecticut Hospice back on sound financial footing; many credit local business owner Barbara Pearce for turnaround CTPost, Branford, CT; by Mark Zaretsky; 7/12/25 Connecticut Hospice, the nation's first hospice facility, appears to finally be out of the financial woods now — but that wasn't the case a few years ago. And many people outside its inner circle may not know just how precarious its situation was and how a well-known business owner played a key role in the turnaround. Barbara Pearce, CEO of Pearce Real Estate, put her life and her role in the real estate company her late father founded on hold for six years to take over at Hospice and make hard decisions to steer it back to health. Hospice has new leadership now. New President and CEO Sylvia Allais is working to move Connecticut Hospice forward. 

Essentia nurses and healthcare workers turned away from bargaining by employer on second day of ULP strike, acute care nurses announce tentative agreement vote results Minnesota Nurses Association, Duluth, MN; Press Release; 7/9/25 On the second day of the ongoing unfair labor practice strike in Duluth and Superior, nurses and healthcare professionals across all six Essentia Health bargaining units arrived at negotiations prepared to make progress — only to be met with rejection and dismissal. ... No meaningful negotiations took place and no progress was made towards resolving the unfair labor practices. Despite Essentia Health’s reliance on costly travel nurses and its abrupt closure of essential facilities like the Solvay Hospice House, frontline healthcare workers have consistently proposed clear pathways to resolution. Today alone, negotiating team members offered to consolidate and expedite bargaining across all six contracts and offered 22 additional negotiation dates in July — both of which Essentia flatly refused.

Prospect Home Care & Hospice begins dispersing funds Pikes Peak Courier, Pikes Peak, CO; by Pat Hill; 7/9/25 A $200,000 gift from Prospect Home Care & Hospice Foundation, the new brush truck fills gaps for Four Mile Fire Protection District. “The problem we run into is that 20 to 26 volunteers typically show up for a fire, but I only had enough trucks to get 20 out,” said Chief Chris Hawkins. “It’s crucial; with another crew on a fire, it’s another 400 gallons of water.” The foundation funds were left from when the hospice organization was active. Mary Barrowman served the organization as president and chief executive officer from 2003 to 2018. That year, Barrowman closed the hospice/home care side but continued to offer grief counseling and individual family assistance for those suffering the loss of a loved one. After dissolving the nonprofit in 2018, Barrowman initiated Prospect’s philanthropy with small grants to organizations and agencies that helped families in need. The donation to Four Mile and an earlier one to the Florissant fire department fulfills Barrowman’s wish to establish a legacy in the name of the Prospect Home Care & Hospice.

The leadership norms CEOs are breaking Becker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 7/2/25 From rejecting strict hierarchies to forging unconventional partnerships, hospital and health system CEOs are challenging long-held leadership norms to build stronger, more responsive organizations. ... Here, six healthcare CEOs share the norms they have intentionally moved past — and what their teams have gained in the process.

The 8 virtues of great leaders Forbes; by Eli Amdur; 6/27/25 ... I write on leadership (and a few other topics) because I’m supposed to be an “expert.” Well, let me set the record straight. That word – expert – makes me nervous. ... But I’ve learned along the way since my career began 57 years ago, and leadership is one area in which I can share some value ... [Leadership theory] should support the axiom that it is not skills alone that will determine leadership in the 21st century and beyond. It’s the humanity of the leader that will do it every time. ... So, as I rest my case about leadership virtues being the differentiators, here’s what I’ve learned along the way: The Eight Virtues of Great Leaders.

HR1: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act - Provisions relevant to Medicaid HCBS providersNational Alliance for Care at Home; 7/7/25The Alliance has created a detailed summary for providers that deliver Medicaid-funded home and community-based services (HCBS) about provisions in the House Resolution 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, also known as the “Reconciliation” bill. View the Alliance's recent statement following House passage of the bill. President Trump signed the legislation on July 4, 2025, and therefore the provisions below will now become law.Publisher's note: Membership required to access full analysis. Also, direct hospice impact appears minimal; indirect hospice impact (e.g., hospice impact as a result of Medicaid nursing home impact) unclear.

Visiting nurse organization makes interim leader permanent Valley News, White River Junction, VT; by Lukas Dunford; 7/3/25 The board of Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire has appointed a new chief executive officer. Tammy L. Tarsa, who has served as interim CEO and president of VNH since March, will replace Johanna Beliveau, who served as CEO from 2018 to 2025. Tarsa began at VNH as chief clinical officer in 2022. Since then, she led a financial sustainability plan and improved VNH’s hospice rating to four stars. The rating is based on a family caregiver experience survey, which the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, uses to assess the experiences of patients and their informal primary caregivers. Tarsa also increased payouts by 310% from the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model, a program designed by the CMS to reward quality and efficiency in home health care. 

Essentia Health is putting Duluth Hospice patients in jeopardy, healthcare workers speak out Minnesota Nurses Association; Press Release; 7/1/25 In a move hospice nurses are calling “cruel and unnecessary,” Essentia Health has informed staff that it will suspend patient care at Solvay Hospice House beginning July 8, the same day an open-ended unfair labor practice (ULP) strike is set to begin across Duluth hospitals. The Minnesota Nurses Association has proposed seven bargaining dates in the week before the strike, but Essentia Health has not accepted a single date for Solvay Hospice House or its hospitals and clinics. Solvay healthcare workers say these transfers are not being driven by a shortage of caregivers, but by Essentia’s refusal to engage in good faith bargaining with frontline healthcare workers at Solvay and across Duluth facilities. Caregivers at Solvay have been seeking a fair contract for nearly a year.