Literature Review

Golf tournament raises more than $22,000 for local charity Avow Foundation, Naples, FL; Press Release; 5/6/24On Monday, April 8, Royal Palm Golf Club hosted a Pro-Am tournament to benefit Avow Foundation, raising more than $22,000 to support Avow’s mission to provide hospice, palliative care, and bereavement services to the community. Their collaborative efforts resulted in a successful tournament, attracting 76 professional and amateur golfers from clubs around Collier County.

Building connections, showing compassion and bringing peace to patients and families St. Louis Post-Dispatch; by Mary McHugh; 5/3/24Three thousand colorfully painted rocks are artfully arranged in the landscaped outdoor meditation courtyard at Evelyn’s House, a part of BJC HealthCare, a ranch-style hospice home located adjacent to Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital. Each rock pays tribute to a patient who has spent their last days of life there. Decorated by the staff, the stones are visible through the garden window from the home’s central gathering space for families. It’s one of the first sights visitors see when they enter the facility. For the staff, including nurse Dawn Anderson, the stones are a unique and memorable way to honor the lives who have passed and prepare the staff to care for those who have yet to come. ...

Families are often unaware of benefits of palliative hospice care, says retired oncologist KSMU Ozarks Public Radio; radio segment by Linda Regan; 5/5/24 In this episode of our local program Making Democracy Work, host Linda Regan speaks with returning guest Dr. Robert Carolla, retired medical oncologist and board member for Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks. Carolla discusses palliative hospice care and says that families often sign up too late to receive all of the supportive benefits. He says “death is a part of life” and explores common misconceptions associated with hospice care.

Bon Secours Mercy Health, Compassus finalize hospice and home health partnership PR Newswire; news provided by Bon Secours Mercy Health and Compassus; 5/2/24 Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH), the fifth-largest Catholic health system in the U.S., and Compassus, a leading national provider of innovative home-based health care services, have finalized an agreement to form a joint venture partnership. Compassus will manage 10 home health agencies and 11 hospice operations formerly led by BSMH serving patients in Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia. 

Big Bend Hospice, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Partner on transformative approach to transitional careBusiness Wire; 5/2/24 Big Bend Hospice (BBH) and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) announced a partnership today to improve patient navigation within the healthcare system. This collaboration aims to streamline transitions between hospitals, doctor's offices, rehabilitation centers, and home care. The signing of the Affiliation Agreement creates a governance structure that will develop a transformative approach to improving transitions of care in the Big Bend community. Transitions of care involve a patient's movement between healthcare settings, such as doctor's offices, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, long-term care, home health, hospice, etc. This partnership establishes a network of connected healthcare services, creating a seamless patient journey regardless of specific needs.

Harmony House of Western Massachusetts unveils new home for terminally ill WWLP TV 22 News; by Kayleigh Thomas; posted 4/26/24, updated 4/27/24 [Chicopee, MA] After a long hiatus, the Harmony House of Western Massachusetts unveiled its new home for the terminally ill. It comes after the original home closed in 2019 before Covid-19 hit. Once the pandemic began, plans to renovate the new home were put on hold. Now, they’re completely renovated with a fully staffed team to offer companionship, meals, laundry services, and personal and spiritual care.

Hospice Ball raises money for health care in the Northern Hills Black Hills Pioneer (Spearfish, South Dakota); by Pioneer Staff Reports; 4/26/24Nearly $110,000 was raised during the 27th annual Northern Hills Hospice Ball held on April 6. Monument Health hosts the annual event to help raise awareness and support for hospice patients and their families. Proceeds from this year's event supported hospice care in the Northern Hills and a fund-a-mission portion of the event supported the expansion of the Monument Health Spearfish Hospital. "On April 6 we yet again witnessed the Northern Hills community showing up to help uphold the dignity and support of our local Hospice patients," said Hans Nelson, Director of the Monument Health Foundation. 

Novant Health launches 'hospital at home' with $2.7M donation Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 4/24/24 Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health launched a hospital-at-home program thanks to a $2.7 million donation. The health system rolled out the program in March at its coastal North Carolina region, and said the ideal patient is one likely to need four days or fewer of inpatient care. ... atients, who are monitored by technology around the clock, have 24/7 access to a remotely located registered nurse, receive at least two visits a day from paramedics, and meet virtually with a physician once daily. ... The New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation provided $2.7 million to help with operational startup costs. Novant Health received a waiver from CMS for the program in 2021.

How the FTC noncompete ban affects nonprofit providers Modern Healthcare; by Alex Kacik; 4/25/24 The Federal Trade Commission’s ban on noncompete agreements will apply to some healthcare nonprofits, lawyers said. ... In the final rule, the FTC offers an example of a nonprofit hospital that employed 100 physicians. The commission would have jurisdiction “because the organization engaged in business on behalf of for-profit physician members,” the rule states. ... The FTC created a carve-out for senior executives in the final rule. Existing noncompete agreements with senior executives, defined as workers who earn more than $151,164 a year and are in policymaking positions, can remain in place. But employers are barred from enforcing new noncompete provisions with senior executives.

UPMC lays off 1,000 employees, citing market challengesModern Healthcare, by Caroline Hudson; 4/24/24UPMC is laying off about 1,000 employees, or slightly more than 1% of its workforce. The layoffs are effective immediately, a spokesperson said Wednesday. The cuts mostly affect non-clinical, non-member-facing and administrative employees, Paul Wood, chief communications officer at UPMC, said in a statement. ... Pittsburgh-based UPMC operates 40 hospitals and 800 doctor's offices and outpatient sites in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and some international locations. Its insurance division covers more than 4 million members. The nonprofit health system reported a $31 million net loss in 2023, compared with a more than $1 billion loss the prior year. Operating losses for 2023 totaled $198 million.

Save A Lot donates 7,000 pounds of food and $500 to local hospice Hazard Herald [KY], by Justin Begley; 4/18/24Save A Lot has once again lent its support by donating seven thousand pounds of food and water, along with a $500 gift card, to the Greg and Noreen Hospice Center. This year marks the fifth consecutive year that the grocery chain has made such a donation to hospice. Jason Smith, a district manager for Save A Lot, alongside management from other stores, was on hand to unload truckloads of supplies to replenish the hospice’s pantry ...

Money donated to hospice organization: [$24k+ to Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County] Fox TV 22 and ABC TV 7 - Bangor, ME; by Susan Farley; 4/18/24During [November and December], Subaru of America and Stanley Subaru in Trenton donate a portion of proceeds from every new car sale to charity. Today they gave Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County a check for almost $ 25,000. "We are also growing our service with palliative care . We know that's a very underserved population really with support from volunteers going into the home providing companionship and respite. ... " said Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County Executive Director Kathy Bailargeon.

Rock River Hospice and Home receives $5,000 grant Shaw Local News Network; 4/18/24The Do it Best Foundation announced that a $5,000 grant has been awarded to Rock River Hospice and Home [Sterling, IL]. “Rock River is a regional leader in providing end-of-life care,” said Rich Jordan, general manager at the Do it Best warehouse in nearby Dixon. “No one is ever turned away from their services for their inability to pay, which is why donations and grants are so important. We’re honored to support their efforts to treat every patient and their families with dignity and respect.”