Literature Review

“You’re not just there to do a job”: a qualitative examination of Canadian long-term care worker strengths BMH Health Services Research; by Duneesha Goonetilleke, Nick Boettcher, Sofia Celis & Bonnie Lashewicz; 2/25/26, online ahead of print 

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?

The hospice moratorium: what CMS is really signaling about the future | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Jennifer Kennedy; 9/2/26 In Part One of this timely conversation, host Chris Comeaux and co-host Cordt Kassner,  sit down with Dr. Jennifer Kennedy, Vice President for Quality, Standards and Compliance at CHAP, to unpack what the CMS hospice moratorium means, why it was implemented, and what hospice leaders should be watching next.  Jennifer explains how escalating concerns around fraud and abuse, rapid market expansion, transactional hospice models, accreditation oversight, and Medicare enrollment have created an unprecedented regulatory environment.  She also shares why she believes the moratorium could be extended as CMS continues strengthening enrollment screening and program-integrity efforts.

'They took care of me too': HIA Heather's House marks 1-year, nearing 400 patients InForum | Fargo Forum, Fargo, ND; by Kevin Wallevand; 8/28/26 Heather's House is celebrating its first year open, with nearly 400 patients receiving care through HIA so far this year. [HIA's Heather's House is North Dakota's first freestanding, inpatient hospice house. HIA had previously been known as Hospice of the Red River Valley before changing its name in June.] Editor's Note: Congratulations on this significant success. From an article we posted one year ago when they opened: "Ground was broken for the facility three years ago and administrative offices were moved into the building in February, but the dream began many years before that with hospice trailblazers Mary Lou Dahms, Sonia McManus and Edie Lohr." Be inspired by connecting-the-dots between their "dreams" and your own with today's "Today's Encouragement."

Community raises $520,000 for Sharp HospiceCare at annual regatta The Coronado Times; by Coronado Times Staff; 8/27/26 More than 1,500 guests gathered on San Diego Bay this past weekend for the 23rd Annual Sharp HospiceCare Benefit Dinner and Regatta, raising $520,000 to support compassionate end-of-life care for patients and families through Sharp HospiceCare’s residential hospice homes and programs throughout San Diego County. Hosted in partnership with Coronado Yacht Club and Cortez Racing Association, Sharp HospiceCare’s largest annual fundraiser began Friday evening with a benefit dinner aboard the USS Midway and continued Saturday with the annual regatta. Colorful sailboats filled the bay Saturday as 52 boats competed in the race and more than 40 yacht owners donated their vessels to host viewing parties for guests. 

‘More than just a building:’ As Duke sells historic bereavement center, a town grapples with grief Duke Chronicle; by Dylan Halper; 8/26/26 When Maria Peluso’s father died in April 2014, her family directed all donations to one place: a memorial brick, to be laid in his honor on a pathway near the Duke Hospice Unicorn Bereavement Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina. ... Over the ensuing years, the brick became a place of solace and learning for Peluso’s family. Before she died, Peluso’s mother often visited the site, and Peluso [a former Duke University Health System nurse and recipient of this center's bereavement counseling] said she brings her children and grandchildren — who never met her father — to the brick to teach them about his legacy. Underneath her father’s name and lifespan, the brick reads, “I will love you longer than forever.” But while the love of Peluso’s family will endure, the brick itself will be torn up as part of a redevelopment of the property encompassing the former Unicorn Bereavement Center and Duke Hospice at the Meadowlands. 

[Israel] Hadassah Hospice: bringing meaning it life Hadassay.org | Medicine & Research, Jerusalem, Israel; Press Release; 8/26/26 "Outside, there may be conflicts and wars, but inside these walls is a small microcosm, disconnected from the outer world, that concentrates on humanity." This is how Dr. Daniel Azoulay described the Inna and Jack Kay Hospice at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus. ... This October, the hospice is marking 40 years since its founding by Dr. Reuven Fink and nurse Ruth Shahal-Gassner. In the quiet place Dr. Azoulay describes, the staff provides end-of-life palliative care to some 220 patients every year. "There's a closeness here among Jews and Muslims, religious and secular people. At the end of life, everyone is the same — everybody asks that their suffering be alleviated and battles the same anxieties and fears," said Dr. Azoulay, who is head of palliative service and responsible for the Hospice Department.Editor's Note: May we listen and learn. In the midst of our deluge of political wars each way we turn, may we find ways to "concentrate on humanity." Read again: "There's a closeness here among Jews and Muslims, religious and secular people. At the end of life, everyone is the same — everybody asks that their suffering be alleviated and battles the same anxieties and fears."

Miles for Mercy raises more than $4,000 before riders hit the road PR Newswire, Frederick, MD; by American Iron Speed-n-Cycle; 7/25/26 American Iron Speed-n-Cycle has raised more than $4,000 for Frederick Health Hospice through community sponsorships for the 2nd Annual Miles for Mercy Poker Run, nearly doubling the total raised during last year's event before a single rider takes to the road this year [on Oct. 17]. ... "The response from the business community has been incredible," said Tracy O'Clair, marketing manager for American Iron Speed-n-Cycle and organizer of Miles for Mercy. "These businesses aren't simply putting their names on an event. They're choosing to give back to an organization that supports people and families throughout our community during some of the most difficult times in their lives."

From zombies to zealots: cultivating passion and purpose in healthcare leadership | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with DJ Mitsch and Tasha Walsh; 8/26/26 Healthcare professionals often enter the field with a calling—but somewhere between compliance, productivity demands, regulatory pressure, and relentless change, that calling can begin to disappear. In Part One of From Zombies to Zealots, Chris Comeaux is joined by DJ Mitsch, pioneering executive coach, author, and founder of the Healthcare Coaching Institute, and Tasha Walsh, CEO and Executive Director of ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice.  Together, they explore how passionate, purpose-driven healthcare professionals can gradually become disconnected from the very work that once inspired them. DJ argues that when organizations celebrate productivity and profitability at the expense of people, work becomes transactional rather than transformational—and trust, imagination, and engagement begin to erode.

Hospice nurses at Minnesota-based Allina Health vote to authorize 7-day unfair labor practice strike CBS News Minnesota; by Nicholas Lentz; 8/24/26 Hospice nurses who work for Minnesota-based Allina Health have voted to authorize a seven-day unfair labor practice strike, the union representing them said on Monday. According to Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa, all workers who cast a ballot on Friday voted in favor of the strike. The authorization comes amid negotiations to reach a first contract that have been happening for more than a year, SEIU said. Members allege Allina Health is opposed to "creating a fair compensation system that would give nurses extra pay for extra work"  and refuses to pay salaried registered nurses a holiday premium when they are required to work on holidays. The union added that the company also doesn't allow hospice nurses to flex their schedules.

Social hospice model boosts access reduces costs Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 8/21/26A community-based social model of care has helped to improve hospice access and alleviate family caregiver burden. The collaborative model has also reduced end-of-life care costs among some patient populations. Oklahoma-headquartered Omega Home Network is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the development and expansion of community homes for dying individuals. The community-based model centers around providing nonmedical hospice support in a home setting. Social determinants of health have increasingly determined where patients spend their last days of life, with some individuals facing more complex endings than others, said Kelley Scott, founder and executive director of Omega Home Network. 

NPHI enters new phase of high growth as national community continues to expand National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Washington, DC; Press Release; 8/18/26 The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) is experiencing a period of significant growth, welcoming a growing number of mission-driven, community-based organizations from across the country since its 2026 Summit. ... This continued expansion brings new expertise, perspectives and community connections into NPHI’s national network, strengthening a community united by a commitment to high-quality, compassionate, people-first care. ... In recent weeks, NPHI has welcomed:

The new health system CEO job description, per 23 leaders Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon, Kelly Gooch, and Kristin Kuchno; 8/20/26 The health system CEO job description is getting longer, and increasingly filled with responsibilities that barely registered five years ago. Today’s CEOs are expected to steer AI strategy, prepare for cyberattacks, shape culture, advocate in statehouses and on Capitol Hill, protect employees from workplace violence, address affordability and serve as trusted voices in their communities. That shift is playing out at some of the nation’s largest and most prominent health systems.