The Big Bend Hospice linen drive brings comfort to patients in rural communities: Addressing a critical need in underserved areas 
ABC WTXL-TV 27, Tallahassee/Monticello, FL; by Lentheus Chaney; 4/30/25 
In Jefferson County, kindness sometimes comes in the form of cotton. Big Bend Hospice is collecting linens here to help patients face their final days with dignity. Big Bend Hospice just launched a linen drive. It's asking neighbors to donate new Twin XL-sized bed sheets. They'll be used for patients across Jefferson, Madison, and Taylor counties. The drive's goal is to ensure no one spends their final days without the comfort of clean sheets—something most of us take for granted. The  need is especially great in rural areas. According to state data, hospice use in parts of North Florida lags behind the statewide average—just 57%. That's compared to nearly 66% across Florida. That gap means fewer resources in the places that need them most.
Editor's note: Typically, we don't post donor-related articles until after completion. However, this unique community outreach by Big Bend Hospice raises our awareness of practical, simple, meaningful outreach in underserved rural areas. What practical, affordable, meaningful outreach does this spark for your hospice's rural--or other underserved--patients?

Safe Harbor Estate Law launches “Dignity Drive” to support Minnesota hospice patients during Elder Law Month 
The Luverne Journal, PR Underground; 5/1/25 
In recognition of May as Elder Law Month, Safe Harbor Estate Law is proud to announce the launch of the Safe Harbor Dignity Drive, a community-wide campaign to collect clean, comfortable clothing and comfort items for hospice patients facing end-of-life care with limited resources. Inspired by conversations with their partners at St. Croix Hospice, Safe Harbor learned that many patients spend their final days without appropriate clothing—often due to significant weight loss, mobility challenges, or a lack of support. Soft, well-fitting clothing can provide warmth, dignity, and peace during an incredibly sacred time. “We believe everyone deserves to feel respected and cared for—especially in their final days,” said Margaret Barrett, founder of Safe Harbor Estate Law. “The Dignity Drive is our way of helping ensure no one spends those moments without the basic comfort of clean, cozy clothing.”

A powerful film chronicles one man’s last days within a loving community for all to witness. 
Monterey County Now, Seaside, CA; by Pam Marino; 5/1/25 
Facing certain death from a brain tumor, Ethan “E3” Sisser adopted a mantra. “I am embodied. I am empowered. I am ecstatic,” the 36-year-old would tell himself, in order to ward off oncoming seizures, carry himself through pain or recite for his many followers on social media. “E3” became his nickname. We see Sisser, looking into the camera, recite the mantra early in the documentary, The Last Ecstatic Days, released in 2024. We also meet his hospice and palliative care physician, Aditi Sethi, who leaves her position to become his death doula and friend. She fulfills his wishes for a peaceful death surrounded by a caring community, filmed for others to learn from. Director Scott Kirschenbaum – who made one of the definitive documentaries about birth, These Are My Hours – spent the last two weeks of Sisser’s life near his side with a camera, capturing each moment.

Breaking barriers: Ketamine's  role in hospice medicine with Dr. Rohini Kanniganti 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Rohini Kanniganti; 4/30/25 
Ketamine – a medicine long used as an anesthetic – is finding a powerful new purpose in Hospice and Palliative Care settings.  Dr. Rohini Kanagante, a physician with expertise spanning both Hospice Care and Integrative Psychiatry, unveils the remarkable potential of this medication in our latest episode of TCNtalks. [TCN is a sponsor of our newsletter.]

Think you know what nursing research looks like? Think again 
Boise State News, Boise, ID; 4/30/25 
“Research” doesn’t just mean generating new discoveries through experimentation. Boise State supports Boyer’s model of scholarship, which expands the definition of research and creative activity to include applying and integrating knowledge into other settings, as well as teaching it. ... [An] interdisciplinary team is working to improve hospice and palliative care for refugees. ... Clinicians and refugees often do not share common cultures, languages or communication norms, so [Kate] Doyon has been building a community advisory board to create a communication guide. They’re working with stakeholders–including refugees and providers–to develop prompts that will enhance the care refugees receive, starting on the level of communication. Ornelas said the refugees they interviewed “gave us a lot of insight on different cultures and how we can go about and make prompts.” The prompts are short phrases to remind the healthcare team of best ways to interact with refugees and productively approach conversations.

Administration to close HHS Civil Rights office 
Newsmax; by Brian Freeman; 4/28/25 
As part of massive cutbacks at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will shut down their civil rights office in June, according to an email sent to staff on Monday and viewed by Politico. HHS has already been reduced by some 20% as part of overall downsizing, with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump focusing on eliminating those programs and agencies they say promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. ... Complaints that are nearing completion connected to workplace harassment and discrimination will be closed out in the coming weeks, and remaining complaints will be "transferred to an appropriate entity," the email stated.
Editor's note: Data from the 2024 NHPCO Facts and Figures Report states: "In CY 2022, 51.6% of White Medicare decedents used the Medicare Hospice Benefit. 38.1% of Asian American Medicare decedents and 37.4% of Black Medicare decedents enrolled in hospice. 38.3% of Hispanic and 37.1% of North American Native Medicare decedents used hospice in 2022." The discrepancies between white and non-white decedents demonstrate double-digit differences. Extensive evidence-based research validates wide gaps in hospice/healthcare for persons whom the HHS Civil Rights office is charged with protecting. For more, visit Office of Civi Rights Home | HHS.gov and Office of Civil Rights About Us. 

HHS OIG: Greater oversight needed among new hospices 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 4/28/25 
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is readying to unveil a new report that will unveil common billing trends among potentially fraudulent newly licensed hospices. The report, “Trends, Patterns, and Key Comparisons Related to New Medicare Hospice Provider Enrollments May Indicate the Need for Further Oversight” is expected to publish in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. It will examine potential red flags of fraud, waste and abuse among newly enrolled Medicare hospice providers’ claims data. ... “The data brief may help CMS evaluate the need for additional monitoring and program integrity efforts to ensure that hospices meet all the requirements,” OIG stated in a recent announcement. “Our objective is to identify trends, patterns and key comparisons that indicate potential vulnerabilities related to new Medicare hospice provider enrollments.”

Courts diverge in challenges to CMS's minimum staffing requirements for LTC facilities 
JD Supra; by Kayla Stachniak Kaplan, Scott Memmott, Sydney Menack, Jonathan York, Howard Young; 4/30/25
On May 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published its Final Rule to implement minimum staffing standards for long-term care (LTC) facilities in the United States. However, as discussed in our prior blog post, the Final Rule was immediately challenged under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in two major lawsuits. These cases have resulted in divergent rulings, injecting more uncertainty across the LTC industry about the future of the application and validity of the Final Rule. ... This and further developments in these cases will have significant impact on the future of CMS’s oversight of the country’s nursing homes.

Assembly passes bill to allow medically assisted death for terminally ill New Yorkers 
NNY360, Watertown Daily Times and Northern New York Newspapers, Watertown, NY; by Alex Gault; 4/2925 
The New York state legislature is poised to pass a bill that would allow terminally ill people to seek a medication to end their lives, a process called medical aid in dying. On Tuesday, the Assembly voted for the first time to advance a bill, carried by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Westchester, that would allow a terminally ill patient to ask for a prescription for a lethal medication, to be taken at home on their own terms. 

100 academic medical centers to know | 2025 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Anna Falvey; 4/29/25 
Academic medical centers combine exceptional patient care with cutting-edge research and groundbreaking medical advancements. The 100 institutions [listed] are renowned for their clinical excellence, innovative programs, research leadership, educational impact and commitment to patient satisfaction. Becker’s Healthcare developed this list based on editorial research. This list is not exhaustive, nor is it an endorsement of included academic medical centers. Organizations cannot pay for inclusion on this list. Organizations are presented in alphabetical order. 

• Allegheny General Hospital (Pittsburgh) ...
• Atlantic Health System (Morristown, N.J.) ...
• Atrium Health (Charlotte, N.C.) ...
• BJC HealthCare (St. Louis) ...
• Baylor Scott & White Health (Dallas) ...
• Baystate Medical Center (Springfield, Mass.) ...
• Boston Children’s Hospital ...
• Continue reading the list ...

Interim HealthCare expands Alzheimer’s offerings through new partnership 
Home Health Care News; by Audrie Martin; 4/30/25 
Interim HealthCare has expanded its Alzheimer’s care program through a new partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association. The partnership, announced on Wednesday, will enable Interim to bolster its existing Alzheimer’s offerings through additional educational programs and opportunities to participate in Alzheimer’s Association events.

Patient, provider, and health system determinants of hospice Length of Stay 
Palliative Medicine Reports; by Eliza Thompson, Daniel Sanchez Pellecer, Gregory J Hanson, Shealeigh A Inselman, Jenn M Manggaard, Kevin J Whitford, Jacob J Strand, Rozalina G McCoy; 4/3/25
Background: Benefits of hospice care, such as improvement in quality of life and reduced costs, depend on duration of enrollment in hospice services, making timely hospice referral essential. ...
Conclusion: Based on a review of hospice referral patterns, the integration of hospice care into subspecialty practices, long-term care facilities, and advanced practice education could be an effective strategy to improve hospice LOS.

Executive Personnel Changes - 5/2/25

• Interim Healthcare Inc. has appointed Jeff Chapuran as General Counsel.
  
  
• Traditions Health, a multi-state provider of home helath, hospice and palliative care,  announced the addition of Miriam Campbell, who joins the team as a Vice President of Sales for the hospice service line.

Social Media Watch 5/2/25

• CHAP posted HOPE Assessment Tool Series: Let's talk HOPE Items - Administration & Preferences.
• Hospice and Palliative Care Association of NYS posted Phoebe Reynolds named President & CEO of CareFirstNY.
• Ernesto Lopez shared The Denver Hospice is sponsoring Caregiving, a powerful new documentary executive produced by Bradley Cooper adn narrated by award-winning actress Uzo Aduba.
• Melissa Calkins congratulated Samira Beckwith for receiving the NPHI Lifetime in Excellence Award.
• Gail Forsyth posted her new position - Manager, Compliance and Accreditation at BridgingLife.
• Big Bend Hospice appoints Amanda Gustafson COO.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever ~ Mahatma Gandhi