Literature Review

Nursing home palliative, hospice care provide CNAs new opportunitiesMcKnight’s Long Term Care NewsDecember 7, 2023A lack of end-of-life training may leave certified nurse assistants unprepared to work with patients receiving palliative or hospice care, but nursing homes must do more to cross-train and build their confidence. That was the message this week from Karl Steinberg, MD, CEO of Stone Mountain Medical Associates, and certified nurse aide Telisa Green, who addressed barriers to quality, end-of-life care during a webinar hosted by the National Association of Health Care Assistants. The speakers recognized that education in this care area can be hard to come by for CNAs, who are broadly trained in vitals and other care-taking tasks. “Almost all of the palliative care skills that CNAs learn are on-the-job training,” Steinberg acknowledged. “I absolutely will advocate for increasing the availability of palliative care training for nursing assistants.” ... Both presenters emphasized the importance of prioritizing a patient and their family’s comfort over too much devotion to a formalized care plan, as well as being an advocate for the patient’s well-being—especially in end-of-life and hospice settings.

South Hill hospital to cease in-home hospice, home health services Dec. 31News & Record (South Boston, VA)December 6, 2023South Hill, VA—VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital in South Hill will no longer provide in-home community health and hospice services starting Dec. 31, hospital officials announced Monday. ... Kristy Fowler, marketing and communications specialist for VCU Health CMH, said the hospital will continue to provide these services on “an inpatient and outpatient basis, [but] they will no longer be available in the home.” ...  Fowler explained that home health and hospice services declined throughout the pandemic and are no longer part of VCU Health CMH’s core business. 

CVS to start rebranding its healthcare services segment this yearMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 6, 2023CVS disclosed Tuesday that it will begin to roll out its newly rebranded healthcare services segment this month. The new brand, called CVS Healthspire, includes CVS’ suite of care delivery businesses: Caremark, Cordavis, Oak Street Health, MinuteClinic and the company’s home care entity Signify Health.  ... Evidence of the rebrand will soon be visible, according to the company; the five businesses within Healthspire will soon incorporate “Part of CVS Healthspire” to their assets.

Mary Washington Hospice’s Sixth Annual Light Up a Life Raises Over $34,000News ReleaseDecember 4, 2023Fredericksburg, VA—Mary Washington Hospice hosted its sixth annual Light Up a Life Illumination event on November 9, 2023. This special event allowed community members to purchase luminaries in their loved ones’ memory. Over 350 individuals were honored, and their names were read aloud by the hospice team during an intimate program in the Meditation Garden at Mary Washington Hospital. The proceeds from Light Up a Life benefit Mary Washington Hospice, Grief Support Services, and Mary Washington Hospital Auxiliary. 

Marilu Henner, actress of ‘Taxi’ fame, to speak at Sarasota-Bradenton Tidewell eventBradenton (FL) HeraldDecember 6, 2023Sarasota, FL—Marilu Henner, who came to fame as Elaine O’Connor-Nardo in the sitcom “Taxi,” had only just begun her remarkable career when the series premiered in the late 1970s. She went on to star in 72 films, seven Broadway shows and a second hit sitcom, “Evening Shade.” Henner, 71, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker for Tidewell Foundation’s 15th Annual Signature Luncheon on March 1 at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. ... Henner is a spokesperson for Alzheimer’s disease awareness. She has been an advocate for hospice care, and in 2019 she became a spokesperson for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Proceeds from the luncheon help the Tidewell Foundation fund charity care, grief support services, specialized veterans care, music therapy, telehealth and other programs.

$200,000 raised for Hospice of Redmond at Festival of TreesCentral Oregon Daily News (Bend, OR)December 5, 2023More than $200,000 was raised at this year’s Festival of Trees. The Hospice of Redmond holds the event every year to raise money for its non-profit services, making sure that people who need end-of-life care can get it even if they don’t have the funds. One of auctioned trees sold for almost $12,000.

Execs—Retention program has lasting positive effect on turnover, culture for VITASMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 5, 2023A successful retention program, which has since ended, has had an enduring impact on recruitment, retention and employee satisfaction at hospice provider VITAS, executives said Monday during an investor conference. “We got a lot of goodwill with the employees,” David Williams, chief financial officer of Chemed, VITAS’ parent company, said during the conference hosted by Bank of America. “It showed that we were responding to their needs. They were concerned they were overworked, that they were underappreciated. The program responded to those issues.”

Banner Health to close hospice operations; staff moves to Phoenix nonprofitPhoenix Business JournalDecember 4, 2023Banner Health, the state’s largest health system, is closing down its own hospice operations and is transitioning its patients and hospice staff to another provider. An estimated 70 hospice staff from Phoenix-based Banner Health have begun the move over to Hospice of the Valley, effective Dec. 1.

Hospice of the Valley becomes hospice provider for Banner HealthArizona Business MagazineDecember 1, 2023Hospice of the Valley will become the hospice provider for Banner Health in the Phoenix and Tucson areas beginning Dec. 1. Banner Hospice staff will join Hospice of the Valley, ensuring a seamless transition of care for current Banner patients.Notable Mentions: Debbi Shumway, Hospice of the Valley Executive Director Debbie Shumway.

Hospice Savannah gives patients ornaments to record final messages from loved onesWSAV-TV (Savannah, GA)November 30, 2023Savannah, GA—It’s the gift that keeps giving. Holiday Voices is the only keepsake recordable ornament on the market. Each year owner Savannah Kelly donates boxes of the ornaments for patients to record a final message on for their loved ones to have.

Friendtique Reaches $1.3 million in lifetime donations to Ohio’s Hospice LifeCareDaily Record (Wooster, OH)November 30, 2023Wooster, OH—Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare recently received a donation of $25,000 from Friendtique, a local boutique resale shop. Friendtique’s gift marks a milestone of $1.3 million in lifetime donations to the Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare Community Care Fund.

Hospice Providers Developing New Strategies for Recruitment, Retention

Rosen, Barrasso, Baldwin, Fischer Pass Bipartisan Resolution Designating November 2023 as ‘‘National Hospice And Palliative Care Month”