Literature Review

Food drive will aid hospice patients The County, Presque Isle, ME; by Contributed; 9/3/25 Northern Light Home Care and Hospice is holding a patient food drive now through Sept. 22 to support patients experiencing food insecurity. Home Care and Hospice clinicians and home health aides make more than 169,500 in-home visits each year caring for patients across the state. They see first-hand the food insecurity patients are experiencing. “We know that nutrition helps patients have better healing outcomes from a recent surgery or a chronic condition. Worrying about where their next meal is coming from should not be one of their concerns,” said LeighAnn Howard, vice president of clinical operations at Northern Light Home Care and Hospice. Editor's Note: The autumn season is an excellent time to hold your own patient food drive to "support patients experiencing food insecurity." Read this learn from Northern Light Home Care and Hospice innovative outreach and support.

Seasons Hospice closing Hospice House in Rochester to focus on in-home care ABC News KAALTV-6, Rochester, MN; by KAALTV; 9/4/25 On September 4, Seasons Hospice announced it will be closing the Hospice House after more than 25 years of service. Seasons Hospice cited an exclusive focus on in-home hospice care as the reason for the closure. Seasons Hospice said it will remain fully operational in providing home-based hospice services without interruption. “This is not an end to our mission. It is a continuation of our mission in a new way,” said Dawn Beck, Seasons Hospice Board of Directors President, via a press release. ... The closure will go into effect on Friday, October 10. 

Sharp HospiceCare Benefit Regatta raises more than $500,000 to support hospice homes Coronado Times, San Diego, CA; Coronado Times Staff; 9/2/25 More than 1,200 guests gathered on San Diego Bay for the 22nd Annual Sharp HospiceCare Benefit Regatta, raising over $500,000 in support of Sharp HospiceCare’s Homes for Hospice program. ... Funds raised will directly support Sharp HospiceCare’s mission of providing compassionate, holistic care for patients with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones. This includes the ongoing expansion of hospice services and the operation of Sharp’s four hospice facilities — BonitaView, LakeView, ParkView, and the newly completed Moore MountainView Hospice Home in Poway.

Amarillo VA expands end-of-life care with new hospice unit CBS KFDA-10, Amarillo, TX; by Canion Cvazos; 8/28/25 After years of planning, the Amarillo VA has opened a new chapter in veteran care. The VA held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to celebrate the opening for its new hospice unit. VA leaders say the goal is to create a home-like environment, where families can gather with comfort and dignity during their loved one’s final days. The hospice unit will provide 10 private rooms, each designed for a single patient, with its own bathroom and shower. 

From hospice to homecoming - a remarkable journey Buffalo Healthy Living; 8/26/25 On Christmas Eve, Tom Korn was frail and unconscious when he arrived at the hospice unit of Northgate Care Facility after his doctors told him that nothing more could be done. His husband, Mark, was reeling—another unfamiliar corridor, another devastating prognosis, and what seemed to be Tom’s final stop. Instead, Northgate’s partnership with Niagara Hospice became more than just an admission for comfort; it turned into an unexpected chance to live. ... 

Add your message inside the walls of $3.5M Tri-Cities Hospice remodel Tri-City Herald, Keenwick, WA; by Wendy Culverwell; 8/28/25 Tri-Cities Chaplaincy Hospice House invites supporters to tuck messages inside its walls as it briefly pauses renovation and expansion work this week. The public can visit from 3-5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 29. Hospice House is at 2018 W. Entiat Ave., Kennewick. Laurie Jackson, CEO, traces the idea of leaving messages inside walls before they’re sealed up to the original construction some 30 years ago. ... Jackson said long-time supporters regularly share memories of pounding nails and leaving messages in the unfinished walls nearly 30 years ago. Current leaders decided to recreate the moment when Bouten Construction, the contractor, advised it was almost ready to finish the walls.Editor's Note: This creative, meaningful community engagement can be adapted easily to other hospice construction and renovations. How beautiful, Tri-Cities Chaplaincy Hospice House!

Hospice provider’s coast-to-coast expansion receives green light from California AGMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 8/26/25Chapters Health System, a Florida-based hospice and palliative care organization, received conditional approval for its expansion into California via affiliation agreements with Hospice East Bay and Hospice of Santa Cruz County. To finalize the two affiliations, Chapters agreed to: ensure that Hospice East Bay and Hospice of Santa Cruz County maintain certification with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; honor employment agreements with existing staff members; establish quality advisory committees for both East Bay and Hospice of Santa Cruz County; make a reasonable effort to continue providing specialized care services that are currently offered by both newly affiliated providers; and provide annual reports on its compliance with these conditions, according to the California Office of the Attorney General.

NorthStar Care Community announces partnership with Beads of Courage Fox 17 - West Michigan;by Nicole Stoner; 8/19/25 Beads Of Courage is an organization that helps pediatric patients document their health journey through beads of different sizes, shapes, and colors. ... NorthStar Care Community, already established for their compassion in pallative and hospice care, has announced a partnership with Beads Of Courage. This time, the partnership honors patients entering hospice care through their own treatment stages, milestones, and moments of courage. ... In addition, the Carry A Bead Initiative invites the public to support these patients on their journey during end-of-life care by carrying a NorthStar Bead with them, then returning it with a message of encouragement. The bead is then gifted to someone in hospice care, ensuring that these patients are not alone in their health journey.

Unity Hospice receives $20,000 from the Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer The Chamber - Manitowoc County, De Pere, WI; Press Release; 8/18/25 For the tenth consecutive year, Unity Hospice has been chosen as a recipient of funds from the Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer. These contributions help Unity provide compassionate hospice care, palliative care, and grief support to individuals and families across Northeast Wisconsin. The Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer, a motorcycle ride to benefit cancer patients and families throughout Northeastern Wisconsin, presented checks totaling $185,000 to eleven local cancer support organizations at Vandervest Harley-Davidson.

Statement from MNA President on Essentia supervisor’s threats to workers Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA), Duluth, MN; Press Release; 8/20/25 The following is a statement released by Minnesota Nurses Association President Chris Rubesch, RN: 

Attorney General Bonta conducts first-ever review of proposed hospice affiliations, conditionally approves transactions to ensure continued access to hospice services California Department of Justice, Rob Bonta - Attorney General, Oakland, CA; Press Release; 8/20/25California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced conditionally approving the affiliations of Chapters Health System, Inc., a Florida not-for-profit hospice provider, with two nonprofit hospice providers in California. Chapters Health System, Inc. is seeking to expand its current operations, which are largely based on the East Coast, through the creation of “Chapters West Region,” a nonprofit hospice network covering California, Nevada, and Oregon. Specifically, in California, Chapters Health System, Inc. proposed affiliations with East Bay Integrated Care, Inc. (doing business as Hospice East Bay) and Hospice of Santa Cruz County. Both Hospice East Bay and Hospice of Santa Cruz County are longstanding providers of hospice and palliative care in their respective communities. Under California law, any transaction involving the sale, or transfer of control and governance of a nonprofit health facility, must secure the approval of the Attorney General’s Office. Today’s conditional approval represents the first-ever review involving nonprofit hospice providers by the Attorney General’s Office; the overwhelming majority of hospice providers are for-profit entities.  

Mark Swillinger makes $1.5m donation to FAU College of Nursing Boca Magazine, Boca Raton, FL; by Christiana Lilly; 8/13/25 What was expected to be a typical speech turned into one that called for a round of applause: A $1.5 million donation would be made to Florida Atlantic University College of Nursing by local attorney Mark Swillinger in honor of his late wife, Marilyn. The announcement came during FAU President Adam Hasner’s speech at the 15th annual White Coats-4-Care reception at The Addison, an event that supports FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. ... Not only is it a hefty amount, but the donation will create a hospice and palliative care program in FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. Swillinger says he was inspired after seeing the attentive care his wife received in 2023, when she died from lung cancer.

Late attorney leaves lasting legacy to St. Luke’s hospice Times News - tnonline.com; Press Release; 8/9/25 A recent gift to support hospice programs at St. Luke's deepens the impact of Justin K. McCarthy, Esq. ... Among his greatest accomplishmnets is his support of programs offered through St. Luke's University Health Network [in Pennsylvania and New Jersey]. ... For many years, McCarthy, who died in August 2023 at the age of 95, served on the board of trustees for the Network's Visiting Nurses Association and was an early supporter of the hospice program that evolved into an integral component of VNA services. In addition to sharing his time, talent and energy, he was also an extremely generous donor who contributed more than $2 million in support of St. Luke's.