Literature Review

SSM Health donates $25,000 to help Central Missourians with hardship assistance News Tribune; by Jennifer Pallikkathayil; 9/15/26 SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital has donated $25,000 to the In Time of Need Foundation to help Central Missourians with basic needs during a significant medical event. The In Time of Need Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Phoenix Home Care and Hospice, which has a location in Jefferson City and offers home health care and hospice services. The foundation was created to help people get through significant or catastrophic medical events by assisting with basic needs, such as rent or a hotel stay while receiving surgery in another city or a working air conditioner for a cancer patient, said Greg Kelley, vice president of operations at Phoenix Home Care and Hospice.

The critical competencies hospice leaders must build for value-based care cuccess | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Jessica Hubbs; 9/16/26 Value-based care isn’t just changing how hospice gets paid—it’s redefining what hospice leaders must be capable of delivering. In Part One of The Critical Competencies Hospice Leaders Must Build for Value-Based Care Success, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Jessica Hubbs, Chief Clinical Officer at Advanced Care Innovations, to explore the accelerating shift from fee-for-service healthcare toward models built around outcomes, total cost of care, and coordinated care delivery.  Dr. Hubbs explains why emerging models such as LEAD (Long-term Enhanced ACO Design) matter to hospice and palliative care leaders—and why the movement upstream into serious illness and home-based care could represent both a competitive headwind and an extraordinary opportunity.

[United Kingdom] Dad who hates sand to take on Sahara trek BBC News; by Emma Stanley; 9/13/26 A dad who hates sand is trekking the Sahara Desert to raise money for the hospice that cares for his son. Andrew Privett, from Leyland in Lancashire, is one of 31 adventurers who are preparing to trek 30 miles (48km) across Morocco's Erg Chegaga Dunes over six days in November. They will face extreme temperatures, challenging terrain and long days beneath the desert sun, in the first overseas challenge for Chorley's Derian House Children's Hospice.

U.S. hospices with a 5-star CMS family caregiver survey ratingHospice & Palliative Care Today; 9/6/26... This list was compiled directly from CMS's official downloadable dataset — "Hospice care – Provider CAHPS Hospice Survey Data" (August 2026 release) — available on the CMS Provider Data Catalog,. Every hospice below has a "SUMMARY_STAR_RATING" (Family Caregiver Survey Rating) of 5 out of 5 in that file. You can look up any individual hospice, or search by ZIP code, on Care Compare.

Memory Care: Hospice of the Valley awarded grant to support first-of-its-kind in-home dementia program Lovin' Life, Tuscon, AZ; 9/6/26 Hospice of the Valley has been awarded a $100,000 Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment Grant to support its Supportive Care for Dementia Program across Maricopa, Pinal and Pima Counties. This unique service is the only in-home program in Arizona delivering clinical and emotional care to support families caring for a loved one with any stage of dementia. Specific features of the program include in-home guidance and custom care plans from an experienced dementia team; free family caregiver education and support; low-cost in-home respite care through the RISE student engagement partnership; and 24-hour access to clinical advice and care coordination.

A growing Bay County deserves more choices in compassionate care | guest column Panama City News Herald, Panama City, FL; by Julie Head; 9/6/26 Bay County’s remarkable growth has brought new neighborhoods, businesses and opportunities. But as our population grows and ages, more families will face serious illness, care for aging parents and make difficult health care decisions. A community’s strength is measured not only by how it welcomes new residents, but also by how it supports people during life’s most vulnerable moments. That's why conversations about hospice, and access to it, matter. ... For nearly 45 years, Big Bend Hospice has served North Florida from its roots in Tallahassee as a community-based nonprofit. We expanded into Bay County because we saw a growing need for nonprofit hospice care. Before opening our doors, we spent months listening. ...

Celebrating Connie Fox: 96 years young and 25 years of giving backHERLIFE Magazine; by HERLIFE Magazine; 9/1/26This year, we proudly celebrate Connie Fox, our oldest active volunteer, as she turns 96 years young. Connie began volunteering with Hospice of San Joaquin in 2001, after our hospice cared for her husband. ... When asked why she continues to volunteer, Connie’s answer is simple. “The satisfaction. I’ve loved every minute of it. ... We are family. I love Hospice of San Joaquin.” The feeling is mutual. ... At 96, Connie continues to embrace life with enthusiasm. ... She firmly believes that staying involved and positive is the key to a fulfilling life.

Hospice Savannah launches Georgia Care Innovators to unite growing family of services WJCL-22 ABC, Savannah, GA; by Emma Hamilton; 9/3/26 After more than 45 years of providing end-of-life care, Hospice Savannah has launched Georgia Care Innovators, a new organizational identity to reflect its expanding range of healthcare and community services. Hospice Savannah will continue operating under its established name as a central part of the organization. ... “Our story has never been defined by a single service,” said Kathleen Benton, president and CEO of Georgia Care Innovators. “It’s been defined by listening to our community, recognizing unmet needs and asking how we can help.” ... The Georgia Care Innovators family includes:

Record-breaking Lube-a-Thon for Hospice GreatNews.Life; by Center for Hospice Care; 8/31/26 On July 31, Tom’s Car Care Center hosted the 21st Lube-a-Thon for Hospice. At this one-day event, customers get an oil change – full- or semi-synthetic oil, it doesn’t matter – and a car wash for a minimum donation of $50 to Center for Hospice Care. This year’s event broke the “modern-day” record for the number of cars serviced and the amount of money raised to support our promise that no one eligible for hospice care will ever be turned away, regardless of their ability to pay. The team at Tom’s changed the oil in 177 vehicles that day. The doors on the two bays opened just before 7am and there were cars in each of them until just before 6pm. In fact, cars started to line up at 6am – a full hour before the event began. Including donations and sponsorships, the event raised over $12,500, with all proceeds benefiting Center for Hospice Care.

District One Freemasons commit $50,000 to Aroostook Hospice Foundation Suite 1 dedication The County, Presque Isle, ME; by Aroostook Hospice Foundation; 8/30/26 The Aroostook Hospice Foundation is pleased to announce a generous $50,000 commitment from the District One Freemasons in support of the Aroostook House of Comfort. ... David Basley, representing District One of the Freemasons, shared the significance of the commitment, “The decision made by the 1st District Freemasons to present a gift of $50,000 to the House of Comfort was an easy one for us. Since the facility first opened in 2018, we have had several members of our Masonic fraternity or family members experience the most compassionate end of life care offered by staff and volunteers. ..."

Avow expands the future of health care in Southwest Florida with property acquisition in Lee County PRLOG Press, Naples, FL; by Avow; 8/26/26 Avow is pleased to announce the acquisition of property at 14590 Hope Center Loop in Hope Preserve, Fort Myers, representing an important step in the organization's continued expansion of services for patients and families throughout Southwest Florida. With a 44-year history of providing compassionate, not-for-profit care, Avow is expanding its presence in Lee County to make high-quality hospice, palliative care, home health, and grief and loss support more accessible to the growing community. The Hope Preserve property will provide a future home for an approximately 40,000-square-foot Avow facility designed first and foremost to serve patients, families, children, and adults throughout the region.

Housing instability complicates end‑of‑life care for aging unhoused populationsThe Miami Times; Pilar Ingle; 8/25/26 ... Nationally, 771,480 people — the highest number ever recorded — experienced homelessness in 2024. As the number of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. grows, so too does the need for palliative and end-of-life care for these individuals. ... Research has found that specialized health care in general is more effective and affirming for unhoused individuals than traditional health services. Examples of such specialized palliative programs in the U.S. and internationally include the Rocky Mountain Refuge, the INN Between and the Harborview Homeless Palliative Care Team in the U.S., and Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless in Canada.

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.